The Dimension Gate
by Seeker of the Soul
Summary: Duelists from two different dimension gather at the Underworld of Duelists to stop the end of the world, and now a dimension traveler is their final challenge. Crossover between my fic and the Wolfgeneral's. Sequel to the last crossover of the same genre.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh. I do not own any of several characters in this story. I will, after they are introduced, state which characters I do and do not own. This story is done with full permission from all those involved, particularly WolfGeneral. 

Author's Note: This story is a crossover with WolfGeneral's Demon Duelist Legacy/Legend of Demon Duelist storyline and my own Yu-gi-oh story. Some people reading this may have read either of ours, but that is unnecessary as some background is provided. This story is in a sense a sequel to the duel fic that I wrote entitled Duel That Spans The Dimensions. Hence the slight change in this to becoming Duels That Span The Dimensions. Events that took place in that fic WILl be referenced. If you really want to know what happened go ahead and read it, it's short and fun.

**Duels That Span The Dimensions**

_Prologue: Knocking On Rikuo's Door_

Rikuo Amero, born again wolf demon (although not in the religious sense), was insanely bored. It had been a while since he had competed in a serious tournament, and his last truly challenging duel had been about a decade ago when his light half, Daniel, had finally defeated him.

It was times like these, made more annoying by the fact that he was completely cut off from his one and only daughter, that made him wish somebody would try to destroy the world. Of course he didn't literally mean it, but if it did happen his boredom would be alleviated.

There was no way that he would be bored if Jasmine, his wife, or his daughter Erika were here. But Erika was in her last week for the school year at Kaiba's Duelist Academy. Just the thought of his little Eri being at Duelist Academy brought a swell of pride to his heart, because she was now a member of the most elite section of the academy. Obelisk Blue.

Carefully he pondered a method to alleviate his boredom. In the past when he had been alone while Eri was away at Duelist Academy and Jasmine was out doing thief-like things he had tried different methods.

First he had tried solitaire. But he quickly learned that he was talented enough at such a game that he won every time. The computer offered some amusement, but online strategy games just weren't that much fun when you were an ancient demon general who had commanded hundreds if not thousands of battles and your opponents were human teenagers who knew nothing of actual battle.

Video games also held slight favor as a distraction, but A.I.s just weren't skilled enough to offer a real challenge after a while. Growling with frustration he grabbed his deck and spread it out in front of him on the coffee table. "Keh, guess this is what's gonna use up my time for today."

Unfortunately for Rikuo his deck editing was put on pause when a knock sounded. Rolling his eyes the ancient wolf demon shouted out, "One minute!" Putting his deck back together he curled his tail around his waist to look like a belt and ruffled his hair, making his ears hidden. It might be funny to scare random salesmen, but having them tell stories got annoying, so he had taken to hiding his demonic features when he answered the door.

Slipping on a pair of tinted sunglasses (to hide his golden eyes) he grabbed the handle and pulled. Standing in front of him was a teenager who looked about eighteen or so, with messy reddish-brown hair, pulled into a dragon tail in the back. He was wearing a blue shirt with a dragon winding around brambles in the center, and had a suitcase slung over one shoulder. "Yo!"

Rikuo eyed the teen for several seconds. Silence reigned as he did so, inspecting the teen very carefully. Finally, once he was truly satisfied, Rikuo deigned to give the teen a response. "Who the hell are you?"

The boy face faulted, but quickly recovered, laughing slightly. "You're joking right? I mean, it hasn't been that long since we dueled has it?" Rikuo didn't remember dueling this kid, so he squinted a bit to see if that helped bring up the memory. When he didn't manage to say anything for nearly a minute the teen let out an exasperated sigh.

"I challenged you to a duel after winning the Japanese Championship. We dueled, it was a kick ass duel as well. We tied remember?" Rikuo felt his heart stop briefly as he contemplated this. He remember that incident, and remembered it well, as it had been the duel that got him back into the dueling circuit. But this boy couldn't possibly be the same one...

"You can't be Drake....you look like a teenager. I remember him now, and you do look like him. But that was sixteen years ago, and he'd have to be in his thirties. You don't look over eighteen, so it's impossible." The teenager face faulted again, and then jerked back to a standing position, a disbelieving look on his face.

"Sixteen years?! DAMN IT!" With that he went off into a string of curses, violently swinging his bag around. But in doing so he caused something to get pulled up out of his shirt, and dangle against his chest. It was a very distinctive golden disc with a stylized eye in the center.

"No way....if you have that...then you really are Drake. But how can you look the exact same way after sixteen years?" Drake paused in his cursing and looked at the demon. He stood very still for several seconds, and finally grinned like an idiot and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Would you believe me if I said it was magic?" This time it was Rikuo's turn to face-fault.  
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Author's Notes: And so it begins! Yes, this story will be a lot less serious than mine usually are, and no it won't contain spoilers for stuff in my story that hasn't happened yet. I do not own Rikuo Amero, Jasmine Amero, or Erika Amero. Daisuke 'Drake' Ihachi is mine.


	2. When Guests Don't Shut Up

Author's Notes: Onwards to the first chapter! 

_**Chapter One: When Guests Don't Shut Up**_

Rikuo glanced out of the corner of his eye at his house guest, who was busy watching the screen. He idly considered trying to distract Drake from his focus, but knew that at this point it was completely hopeless. "And Johnny Cage wins again. Sorry buddy, but this just ain't your day."

The wolf demon scowled and tossed the controller aside. On the screen the human in shades posed over the defeated body of a four armed tanned warrior. "Crap. All these years and I still suck at fighting games."

Drake grinned and pointed at the demon's hands. "I think it's the claws." He held up his hands, extending them like Rikuo might when making a swipe. But on a human with blunt nails it really wasn't fearsome, particularly when the 'wolf' look that Drake was trying looked idiotic.

"That's what I've always said. You're the first person who has said it for me." He was startled as Drake jumped to his feet, punching his fist into the air with a cry of 'eureka'. Rikuo pulled back from the teenager and eye him curiously.

"I've figured it out! I figured out why you always lose. You never block! Not once in the games we played did you ever even try to stop my attacks. You just attacked me again and again, dishing out every move you could. Sure you pulled off some nice combos, but those combos generally fail if the opponent knows when to make a move at the right time. Kinda like in Duel Monsters eh?" The demon scowled and rose from his spot on the floor, glaring at the younger fellow.

"You know, you're my house guest for the moment, but that doesn't mean I can't kill you. Because I know you're problem. You just don't know when to shut up!" The other duelist arched an eyebrow, looking amused at the spectacle. With one quick motion he reached into his pocket and pulled out a very distinctive thick square. A dueling deck.

"Wanna settle it with a rematch?"  
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Far away from the rematch that was about to begin another game was going on. Four teenage boys sat around a circular table, three of them with eyes on a dark haired boy sitting behind a tri-fold of some sort. "With the mind bending in process your knight will soon be under the control of the dark wizard. Time to roll for will save."

"I'll blow actions points. This should make it easier for me to defeat the mind warping powers of the dark wizard." The game continued with each player making moves, guided and watched by the boy behind the tri-fold. He was master of the game. Everything that happened was because of his doing. Or at least it was.

A blank look fell upon the boy's features as something moved within him. He closed his eyes, feeling a burning sensation flood through his body. But then the sensation faded away and there was nothing left but emptiness.

The other teens' eyes held looks of concern for their friend, but the looks vanished as the boy's eyes snapped open. Ice blue orbs swept across each of the three players, and slight smirk settled on his features. The room began to darken as a purple fog rolled in around them. "Let's up the ante of this game. From this point on, it's not a simple role playing game, it's real. The Darkness Game is just beginning."

All three of the others freaked out, not knowing what was going on or why their friend was talking like this. One of them panicked so much that he tried to run away, only to come through the other side of the wall of fog. They were trapped, and there was no way out.

The dark haired teen narrowed his eyes and grinned at their confusion and terror, ignoring their shouts and pleadings. Their words hoping that this was all a trick, some kind of joke, something. But there was no reprieve from a darkness game. "Roll initiative worms." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'll flip my face down Black Magic Summoner(500/1200) and use its effect to add a magic card from my deck or cemetery to my hand." Drake declared this move and reached down onto the table and flipped up his monster, revealing the picture. The two of them had decided they wouldn't both with disks, and were just having a normal table top duel.

"Hold it Drake. I'm gonna chain that with Hexblaster, discarding a card from my hand to negate the effect and destroy your monster." Rikuo ditched a card and Drake was forced to pick up his monster and place it in his cemetery pile. Although it wasn't as exciting as a duel with duel disks, both of them weren't in the mood to set that up.

"That's okay. I"ve still got plenty of moves left." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While those two were getting reacquainted in a rematch, hundreds of miles away two men were meeting for the first time. They stared at each other, silence reigning as words were searched for. Finally one of them spoke. "You aren't human."

"You aren't a normal human." Satisfied that each was correct in their assumptions, the two men turned and walked away from each other. Despite their certainty in what the other was, neither of them cared. Both had business to attend to.

Before he had gone too far the larger of the two turned his head and said one last thing over his shoulder. "There is great power dwelling within you. I can see it in your eyes. Perhaps sometime in the future we might meet on the battlefield."

The other man didn't look back, but responded in words nonetheless. "I would look forward to such a meeting. You intrigue me." With their final words said, the two men parted ways.  
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"Wolf Demon Lord(2400/1000) attacks your defense mode monster." Rikuo's declaration of attack forced Drake to flip up his face down monster so that battle damage could be calculated. Drake showed it to be an Apprentice Magician(400/800) but because of Wolf Demon Lord's ability, the magician's effect wasn't activated.

"Now I follow up with a direct attack from Jinzo(2400/1500) for game." Drake waggled a finger and grabbed the sole card in his magic/trap zone. It was revealed to be the Magister School quick-play. Since it allowed Drake to produce two Magister Tokens(500/500) he was safe from the attack. And since Jinzo killed one he got to draw a card.

"Alright Rikuo, I'll activate Royal Edict. It lets me declare the name of a magic or trap card and take it from your deck if you have it. So I declare Hell Meteor." The wolf growled and searched through his deck. Once he had the named card he handed it to the other duelist, therefore giving Drake one of the strongest cards he had.

"I play Hell Meteor to deal four thousand damage. And with only 1700 life points left that should finish you off." He slapped the card down in one of his magic/trap zones, and began reaching for the pencil to mark Rikuo's life points down as zero. But the wolf wasn't done yet.

"I activate my quick-play card, Mystik Wok. So I'll sacrifice my Wolf Demon Lord to gain twenty-four hundred life points before being hit by the damage." The punk scowled after doing the math, realizing that with the increase in life points Rikuo would have forty-one hundred life points before taking the four thousand damage. That left him with 100 points remaining against Drake's 1200.

"Looks like this duel isn't over yet. So I guess I'll just set one card face down and end." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Jasmine Amero, Kitsune thief, was having a great time. She was currently working on a method to steal the Crowned Jewels, something she had been planning on doing for a very long time. Of course they were well guarded, so it'd be a challenge.

"Excuse me, you don't happen to know where I can find a hotel do you?" Jasmine looked up to see a pretty girl of probably around twenty looking down at her. Not wanting to be rude, as there was no need, Jasmine decided to tell the girl.

"Sure, I'm staying at one not to far from here. Just go down three blocks and look for the sign with neon letters." She offered the girl a smile, and was surprised at the girl's reaction. She smiled back, but Jasmine could have sworn she saw the area around them light up. With a quick bow the girl departed.

"Hmmm....if I had a smile like that it'd be even easier to have Rikuo eating of my hand. Oh well, I'll just use the normal methods instead." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In California a teenager with black hair in an old-styled ponytail sits in front of a computer in a library. He is typing away, his eyes focused on the screen. "If I'm going to find any leads, outside of the newspaper the best place to look is most definitely the internet. But so far I've turned up nothing."

Grimacing at the lack of results he refocused himself and tried a new search, hoping to get results in this manner. The faster this was completed, the better. If they didn't find what they were looking for it wouldn't matter how hard they had tried. "I hope Drake isn't slacking off. He better be recruiting..."  
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"Now that Irios has cleared a path to your life points and you have no magic or trap cards remaining on the field, this makes it all too easy for me to win. So Bronze Wind-Up Knight attacks directly!" Rikuo smirked smugly, watching as Drake marked down the change in score, leaving Rikuo with one hundred points and Drake with just two hundred.

"We're down to the final moments of this duel. Think you can turn the tide, or is it over? We'll find out in your next turn. Now I set one card face down, emptying my hand, and that means my turn is over." He remained confident in this duel, because he knew he had a good chance of winning. After all, Drake was top decking with an empty field with so few life points.

_'Even if Drake manages to draw a monster stronger than Bronze Wind-Up Knight he'll just be walking into my trap. Attack Redirection Armor can be equipped on any monster, so if he tries for an attack I'll equip the armor to Irios.'_ With his strategy in mind he could only sit back and wait to see what Drake could manage.

"I accept your challenge to win with one draw. So I'll do so!" Drake drew his next card and let out a small sigh that most people wouldn't have noticed. But being a demon Rikuo was able to hear it and know that Drake was disappointed in his draw. Any other duelist would have just seen Drake's confident look and not realized that the draw was worthless.

"It seems that I can't win. So the duel is over." Slowly Drake placed the card into his magic and trap zone, face-up. The symbol at the top showed that it was a quick-play magic card, and the image was one that Rikuo hadn't seen for sixteen years. But the effect was on display, and he knew that the game was over.

"I activate Trap Reflector. But there are only three traps left in your cemetery, and none of them would give me the win. So I'll copy the effect of a trap that I myself negated with my Negative Morality card. Trap Reflector, copy Ring of Destruction!" It didn't matter which monster Drake chose to target, that was game.

"Another tie? Well that's getting annoying. But I'm sure that sooner or later we'll get a real outcome. In fact, why don't we" He was cut off by a sudden buzzing sound. Drake took a small cell phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. He held it to his ear and walked away from the table so that he could talk in privacy.

Of course privacy was something Rikuo couldn't supply to Drake. He couldn't exactly turn off his hearing, so he heard everything that Drake was saying. "No, I haven't asked yet. I'm sure he'll be willing to help out, but he's kind of a grumpy fellow. If I ask him the wrong way he'll get pissed. He's got a really bad temper after all."

As he was speaking Rikuo's left eye was beginning to develop a twitch. "Well he's a good duelist, even if he can get arrogant." A pause followed. "What do you mean by that?" Drake's silence continued for a little bit, as he listened to whoever was on the other line tell him what he needed to know.

"Seriously? Alright then, I'll arrange a flight and head out there to meet you. This is definitely the lead we'll be looker for. A pity it'll take the others longer to show up. I'll see you there. And don't worry, I promise to ask the grumpy wolf-boy. Bye." Drake snapped the cell phone shut and put it back in his pocket. Shoving his hands into his pockets with the phone he turned around and walked back towards the table.

"Hey Rikuo I was....ummm...." He fell silent upon noticing the look on Rikuo's face. Drake had encountered plenty of freaky people in the past few years, and he knew what that look was. It was a look of pure unadulterated evil. The look one gets when planning swift and deadly vengeance.

The wolf demon kept this look, along with a nasty twitch of the eye, as he spoke. "Who's a grumpy wolf-boy?" The teen punk gulped, understanding exactly what was going to come next. So, with that in mind, he began to back slowly away.

"Now Rikuo...I can explain." Rikuo narrowed his eyes and then brandished his claws, standing up and advancing on the teen.

"My policy is, gut them first, wait for explanations later. Wanna see my policy in action?" Snarling, he leapt across the table, forcing Drake to turn tail and run the other direction. Rikuo followed him at a steady pace, albeit not as fast as he could go.

_'Eh, scaring him is all I need to do. Killing him would probably end badly, and he's not a bad guy. He just doesn't know when to shut up.'_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Drake grimaced and leaned back against the couch, holding an ice pack to his head. There was also a large bandage on his left cheek, covering what were most definitely claw marks. "You know, therapy would be a good idea for that anger management problem of yours."

"Keh. No reason for that. I can handle my anger well enough. I just take it out on other people like any civilized person would." Drake raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly what world Rikuo lived in where trying to kill people was considered the action of a civilized person.

"Anyway...I wanted to let you know the reason I was back. See, me and some of my friends tracked someone here. This person is pretty dangerous, and we need to put him down. So I came here to find out if you'd be willing to help us track him and bring him down." He winced slightly as he shifted the ice pack from one large lump to another.

"Why me? Why do you need help at all? You're a good enough duelist to tie with me, so I don't see why you wouldn't be able to bring down whoever this is." Despite the seriousness of his voice he couldn't help but snicker slightly at seeing Drake's discomfort. Rikuo had avoided his vitals though, so everything was fine.

"Well, this person has a tendency to go after the strongest people around. In this case one of the strongest people here is you. I sensed that when I first met you. So basically it's a preventative method. If you're with us, we have more of an advantage, instead of having this person confront you separately and add your power to its." The demon noticed something about the way Drake was talking, and decided to bring it up.

"You've been saying 'this person' and 'it'. Why not just tell me what 'this person's' name is." The duelist closed his eyes, his entire posture changing in response to Rikuo's question. Finally he opened his eyes and sat up, setting aside the ice pack.

"The reason I saw that is he, or it, has a tendency to swap bodies. In other words, it doesn't have one of its own. So it could be anyone. My friends and I are looking for hints of something bad happening, like people losing their souls. And we've finally gotten a clue on this thing's whereabouts. Some place called Duelist Academy."

Drake yelped as Rikuo grabbed the front of his shirt, holding him up in the air and glaring at him. "Duelist Academy? Somebody lost their soul there? Who?!"

"Damn it Rikuo, let me down! A couple of boys who attend the school, that's all I know. We haven't gotten names yet." Letting out a sigh of relief Rikuo released Drake, dropping him back onto the couch.

Drake grumbled and fixed his shirt, casting glares at the demon out of the corner of his eye. "Man, you sure do need that therapy. But all that aside, what do you say? You willing to come and help out?"

"I'll help alright. But for my reasons. So, let's grab some stuff and get going already." He stalked off into his room, and Drake heard sounds of thumping and bangs. With his curiousity peeked Drake leaned into the room to see what was going on.

To his surprise Rikuo was in the closet, casually hurling items of clothing and bags out of it, causing them to crash violently into the wall. One item hit the wall right next to Drake's head, causing him to jerk back and look to see what it was. He blinked and bent down to pick it up. "Ummm....why the hell do you have a riding crop?"

"My wife is kinda kinky." Drake sweat dropped, and chucked the riding crop away. He didn't want to touch it again, because it just brought disturbing thoughts. He didn't even want to know.

"I don't know how you'll be dressing Rikuo, but when my friend and I get there we'll be going incognito. Considering it's a school, that means stealing a uniform." All he heard in response was a barked 'keh' and then Rikuo continued hurling things out of the closet. A few of the items gave Drake a similar reaction to the riding crop, including ones he couldn't put a name to. Things he didn't want to put a name to, or a use to.

"Hey Rikuo, this place is like a high school right? So the uniforms will be kind of like a regular high school uniforms right?" There was a slight pause as Rikuo processed the question, and then he began hurling things back out, before giving a brief answer.

"Sorta." Drake grinned and leaned back against the wall, his mind slipping into certain thoughts.

_'Since we'll be going incognito, that means wearing the uniforms. I can't wait to see Kirani in a school uniform.'_ His grin became rather goofy as his thoughts dwelled on that subject, trying to imagine just what she would look like.

Another thought struck him, and he asked before he could even think about whether he should or not. "Hey Rikuo. Is your wife hot?"

Before they left Drake was sporting a matching pair of cuts on his right cheek, and another lump to add to his growing collection. All courtesy of not knowing when to shut up.  
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Next chapter: Girls In Uniform Are Always Cuter

Author's Notes: Hope you enjoyed that and got a laugh or two from it.

Time Mage: You'll find out next chapter.

G.O.T. Nick: The end is coming. Your end! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHA!!!!

Original Cards

Drake: Black Magic Summoner, Magister School, Royal Edict, Trap Reflector

Rikuo: Hexblaster(WolfGeneral), Wolf Demon Lord(WolfGeneral), Hell Meteor(WolfGeneral), Irios the Steel Monarch(WolfGeneral), Bronze Wind-Up Knight(WolfGeneral)


	3. Girls In Uniform Are Always Cuter

Author's Notes: Prepare for doomness! Errr...possibly. Or maybe not, it's up to you. 

_**Chapter Two: Girls In Uniform Are Always Cuter**_

"There's something I need to do. So go get your uniform on and blend in while I take care of this." With that out of the way Rikuo took off in the direction of what he hoped was the Obelisk Blue dormitories. He'd never been there before, so he'd have to hope he was going the right way.

Drake watched Rikuo go, and then once the guy was out of sight he turned his attention to the folded white and blue uniform in his arms. "Not exactly like a high school uniform, but then again, I haven't seen the girls uniform yet."

He took a look around the seemingly abandoned building, trying to see if there was anyone around. Once he was sure that nobody was there he undressed, leaving his clothes folded on a nearby table. Then he got into the uniform, which Rikuo told him was that of the highest ranking dorm in Duelist Academy, Obelisk Blue.

Rikuo's exact words had been, "If you can match me in a duel, I think you deserve to be a member of Obelisk Blue, even if you aren't really a student. So while pretending, I'll give you that much respect."

Of course he had never explained how he had gotten the uniform so easily, when Drake had figured he'd need to sneak in and steal one. Looked like the wolf had some thief skills to go along with his 'badass' persona. "Speaking of which, I wish I still had my Badass shirt. I really liked that thing too."

He sighed, thinking of the loss of one of his favorite shirts and his old leather jacket. He had been rather upset when they got ruined, but he was happier to be alive, so those took a back seat. "Of course it helps that my trench coat is way cooler. Not that I don't look snazzy in this uniform."

Grinning, and feeling like a regular teenager for the first time in a long time, he struck a pose. While posing his eyes fell on something a bit further into the room, a stone of some sort. He approached it and bent down, giving it a quick once over. "Looks weird. I can even feel a bit of magic in it. Guess this island has its share of secrets. Oh well."

Standing back up Drake headed out of the room, ready to go blend in with the school and wait for Kirani. Since she was had been in London when she called it was likely that she wouldn't get here until the next day since this was just an island off the coast of Japan. "That just means I'll have to settle with seeing other girls in uniform before I get to see Kirani in one. Pity."

Cursing his luck he grabbed the improved duel disk that Rikuo said was his wife's, and attached it to his arm. The thing was lighter than his DD2, and a bit more streamlined than the block device. He didn't know what it was called, but for the moment he figured he'd just call it a DD3 in his head. For all he knew it was the DD5. "Stupid Kaiba never settling on a model...." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Drake restrained the urge to kick his feet up on the desk as he looked down from one of the top rows of the class room. He had completely forgotten how much high school bored him and now here he was, blending in and trying to act like he cared about some class about dueling. _'Damn it. I'm a champion level duelist! A class like this is boring!'_

"You there! I don't think I've ever seen you here before, and we've been through a few months of classes already." Drake's attention was brought back to the present by that outburst. He looked up to find a bearded man with an outfit with a lot of gold in it staring down at him. He had a really foul look on his face as well.

"Ummm....actually I've been out so far. I was in a bit of an accident so I wasn't able to attend up until now." The teacher glared at him, but finally his glare settled into a smug little smirk. Drake raised an eyebrow at seeing such a look, because it could only mean one thing. This guy was plotting something.

"Very well then, I'll accept that for the moment. I am Professor Midas King, your teacher. This class, if you hadn't noticed, is about analyzing deck types. So let's see if, as a member of Obelisk Blue, you can tell me how one would go about creating a Huge Revolution Deck." It took Drake a moment to think of what type of deck the teacher was talking about, but once he had it was an easy question to answer.

"Well, a Huge Revolution Deck revolves around the trap it's named for and the three monster cards that are needed to use that trap. Considering that until they're together those three monsters are worthless as being weak normal monsters, the deck must be half stall. Sangan and Witch of the Black Forest speed up the deck, along with any other monster searchers. Adding a little bit of extra draw power to give it more speed also helps. I could write up a deck list right now if you'd like it." He grinned smugly at Midas, satisfied with his answer.

"Hmph. I see that you are really a member of Obelisk Blue, and not just a poser. I just wish some people were a bit more capable with Duel Monsters." He cast a glare down at the front row, emphasizing his words. Drake followed his gaze to the people down in those rows, each of them wearing red uniforms.

_'Those must be Osiris Red students. Rikuo said they were the lowest level dorm. I guess that means that dueling wise Osiris Red students must be really weak.'_ When he started paying attention again Midas had already headed back down the isles, lecturing as he went. He started to lean back into his desk so that he could fall asleep, but he felt a little uncomfortable, like he was being watched.

He shot a glance to the side, and noticed a teen a few years younger than himself looking at him. The teen was also in an Obelisk Blue uniform, and his cold gaze reminded Drake somewhat of Dalin. He was getting some strange vibes of the guy, and he wondered if this might be the one he was looking for. "What are you looking at?"

"I always familiarize myself with every student that attends here every year. This may only be my second year, but I know everyone at the school. You weren't here last year, and no new student can become Obelisk Blue." Although Drake maintained a cool outward appearance, inside he was starting to freak out. It had only been one class and already his cover was blown!

"I must chastize myself for not having become familiar with everyone and having missed a fellow member of Obelisk Blue. I am Hitokage Seijitsu." The teen extended his hand, giving Drake a look that seemed to say that the hand was only being offered out of acceptance that Drake was also a member of the same dorm. Otherwise it said that he was nothing.

"I'm Daisuke Ihachi. Nice to meet you." Heaving an inward sigh of relief Drake turned his 'attention' back to the teacher. The guy seemed to be as arrogant as Kaiba was. 'What a pain in the ass. I'm here for just a few hours and I've already met a stuck up duelist. I'd forgotten this part of high school.'  
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Drake discovered quickly that trying to ask questions of other students during that class was a stupid idea, as Midas seemed to notice anyone talking out of turn. So he'd been forced to wait till the next class, one he had chosen himself instead of following other students in.

This class was Advanced Dueling Techniques, a class where the higher level duelists got to test their skills against different levels of skill, both in computer opponents and real opponents. Occasionally duelists from this class would attend a class from the lower level and duel someone there. _'Dueling as a class. This is something I wish they'd had in high school when I actually went.'_

He grinned in anticipation of getting to duel, patting his pocket. 'I hope my soul deck is ready, because I may just be using it in a moment.'

"I'd like two volunteers to step forwards for the first duel. Keep in mind that everything you do in this duel will be carefully watched and analyzed to improve your technique." With a big grin on his face Drake immediately stepped forwards, ready for a potential challenge. He wanted to know just how strong the toughest duelists at this school were.

"That's one. Who else is willing to duel first?" The person to step forward appeared to be rather young, probably only fourteen or so. He was probably a freshman at the school, and he was wearing a yellow uniform. So he was Ra Yellow then, the middle class of dorm.

Brushing back his spiky black hair the blue eyed duelist readied his duel disk, inserting his deck to begin. "I don't believe I've had the chance of dueling you yet. But you'll get to know me soon enough, because once I get the chance to take the test I'll be joining the Obelisk Blue dorm. My name is Adriel Zaytel, you'll learn to know it soon enough as I become the top duelist of this school." (ALP: 4000)

Drake smirked and activated his own disk, ready to begin. The guy was cocky alright, but that didn't mean he was good. "I'm Daisuke Ihachi, a true top duelist. Now why don't you show me what you're made of and start this duel off." (DLP: 4000)

Adriel sneered and drew his opening hand, looking over his options. Finally he settled on a card and slapped it down onto his disk. "I'll start off big with Spear Dragon(1900/0). I'll also combo it with the magic card Dragon Unleashed. This allows me to discard two cards to automatically special summon a dragon from my hand."

His blue dragon with the needle nose appeared, and he soon followed it up by shoving two cards from his hand into his cemetery. Now he was ready to get down to business of summoning out his dragon. "Come forth my Tyrant Dragon(2900/2500)!"

Adriel's second dragon was a massive beast with red scales and an extending frill around his neck. Drake knew all about both dragons, but he wasn't threatened. He'd beaten deadlier monsters than Tyrant Dragon before. "That all?"

The Ra Yellow student nodded, aware of the power he had assembled. Just by looking at him Drake could tell what Adriel's plan was, and it was pretty basic. Bring out a heavy hitter to force Drake on the defense and then break down that defense with Spear Dragon's trample ability. He was probably also counting on Tyrant Dragon's immunity to traps. "You should never leave your monsters unprotected, and I'll show you why."

He picked up his first card and added it to his hand. Even without that card he already knew what he was going to do. This was gonna be pretty easy. "I play Magister School to generate two Magister Tokens(500/500 X2)." Two red robed magicians appeared on his field, crouching in defense mode.

"What are those little things going to do against me? Tyrant Dragon can attack a second time in my turn so long as you have more than one monster, so crushing them will be easy for me." He smirked broadly, obviously believing that his mighty dragon made him invincible. Drake was just going to have to show him what real dueling was all about.

"Watch and learn Adriel, because this is real strategy. I play Dimension Magic, sacrifice a Magister Token in order to special summon a spellcaster from my hand! Of course to do so I'll need a little help." The dragon duelist's eyes widened as a golden sarcophagus appeared on the field and shot out chains. The chains wrapped around a Magister Token and around Spear Dragon, pulling them into the coffin. It shut around them.

"Now that those two are gone, my token as a sacrifice and your monster having been destroyed, I can bring out Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)!" His blue skinned favorite monster exited the sarcophagus, spinning his staff over his head. Tyrant Dragon roared loudly at him, but the magician was unaffected by fear tactics.

"Using its effect I take back Dimension Magic and replay it, sacrificing my last Magister Token and destroying your Tyrant Dragon in order to special summon Ghost Sorcerer(1700/1700) to the field." His spectral sorcerer took shape, gliding out of the sarcophagus, joining the Black Magician of Chaos in facing down Adriel's completely empty field.

"To add insult to injury I'll summon Chaos Apprentice(1600/1300) to the field. And all three of my monsters attack directly!" The blasts of energy knocked Adriel off his feet even after depleting him of all his life points. Drake grinned as the disks deactivated, and turned to face all the other students. (ALP: 0)

"What have we learned class? Why simply this. Never leave yourself undefended and never become so overconfident that you assume your opponent can't turn things around." The teacher raised an eyebrow at Drake's words, and the class laughed at Adriel's fallen posture.

Drake almost felt sorry for the kid. There he had been, all confident in his skills, and then he had ended up facing a champion level duelist like Drake. Well, he had learned a lesson, at least hopefully he had. "Hey Adriel. Keep that lesson in mind in case you ever do make it to Obelisk Blue. Speed can be power, but you have to know when and how to use it. And don't get overconfident." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Drake sighed and put his arms behind his head as he walked. Most of the classes he had chosen to show up for were over, and he'd talked to a few people about the incident from a few days ago. So far nobody knew much, it seemed that the faculty was keeping the event pretty hush-hush. _'Guess I'll just have to figure out some other way to get information.'_

"You! I know it's you. The one who crushed that upstart Adriel Zaytel earlier today." The voice he heard from behind him was feminine. On the other hand it also had an air of malice to it, an undertone that said something along the lines of 'I'll kill you horribly for fun'. Or maybe it was just his overactive imagination.

"Yeah, what of it?" He turned to see who he was talking to and stopped dead. The girl was in a blue uniform similar to his, only styled more for a girl, what with a skirt and all. She was about a foot shorter than he was and looked to be a few years younger, probably fifteen or so. She was definitely cute but...

"Ummm....you cosplaying or something?" He pointed at the top of her head, where a pair of pointy ears could clearly be seen. The girl narrowed her eyes at this comment, clenching her fists as her entire body began to shake.

"I'M A DEMON!" At the furious glare she shot him Drake could only run a hand through his hair and chuckle nervously.

He gave her a once over and grinned, not knowing that checking out a demon might be the last act he ever did._'This girl's cute, but she's more irritable than Rikuo is. This is why I go for nice girls nowadays.'_ The girl narrowed her eyes at the older boy, and raised her hand, proudly displaying her claws. Drake's gaze was immediately drawn to them.

"What the hell do you think you're looking at mortal?! Keep your eyes to yourself or I'll rip them out!" Shaking his head in amusement Drake approached her and leaned down so he was face to face with her, his violet eyes meeting her golden ones. She blinked in surprise at his sudden closeness.

"You know, some guys may think girls are cute when they're angry, but death threats won't get you anywhere with guys. I'm a nice guy, so if you need any dating advice I can offer. Course I don't know much about the dating habits of demons, but I assume they don't involve savagely mauling the other party involved." It was Drake's turn to blink in surprise when he saw her eyes begin to turn red and glow.

_'I should really shut up, but this is getting funny. Best part is she actually is cute when she's angry.'_ Grinning he stood up to his full height and put a hand on her head before she could react. He ruffled her hair and flashed her a bright award winning smile, one he had used on girls for quite some time.

"You may be younger than me, but you sure are cute. I bet one day you'll make a nice guy really happy." For a person with control over a magical item that allowed him to feel other's emotions, Drake was being stupid. He could sense very well the anger that was building, but he also knew that it was also stumbling over confusion and intense irritation. He could be annoying, he knew that. He was good at it.

"Catch ya later." Tossing her another grin he turned and started walking away. She stood there for several seconds, both of her eyes twitching rapidly. Finally she recovered, and her eyes turned a deep shade of red and she snarled. She had her target locked.

"Nobody talks to me like that! I'm going to slice out your spleen and use it for tennis practice!" Drake yelped and lept out of the way as her claws slashed at the space he had been moments before. She quickly spun on her heel and attacked again, forcing him to dodge once more.

_'Shit! I think I took it too far this time, she's psycho! If I don't put her down she'll really kill me!'_ Reaching down into the depths of his magical energies he pulled up what he felt would be enough to stop her. His bangs lifted from the force of magic running through his body, revealing a gleaming third eye on his forehead.

"I have no intention of dying here, so down kitty!" He sent a blast of energy straight at her, knocking her backwards by several feet. She managed to get her feet to the ground, and slid another few feet, making tracks in the dirt with the soles of her shoes.

"As a demon you may be a lot more powerful than a normal human, but I'm no normal human. In matters of power I outclass you, so I suggest not trying to kill me." Idly he considered that this might be his target, but just as quickly he brushed that thought aside. This girl was way to crazy and direct to be his target.

"You think you have more power than I do? I'll show you real power! Erika Amero is worth ten times what human scum like you is worth! So allow me to really give you power!" A black dome arose around them, giving off negative energy. Not only did Drake recognize the effect, but he knew the place. She had just started a Darkness Game.

But that wasn't foremost on his mind. First thing on his mind was quite different than that._ 'Amero? Shit! That means she's Rikuo's daughter. I hit on Rikuo's daughter....when he finds out he's gonna kill me for sure!'_

"Are you even paying attention? I'm going to explain the rules of a Darkness Game to you, or would you rather just die horribly here and now?" Drake blinked and returned his attention to the game at hand. She had already activated her duel disk and was holding a hand of cards. That meant it was going to be Duel Monsters. (ELP: 4000)

"No need to explain. Like I said, I'm not a normal human. I've participated in Darkness Games before. Considering your disposition towards violence I can only assume that if you were capable of beating me you'd inflict something nasty on me. Lucky for you I'm nicer than that." He drew his own hand of five cards, trying to decide on a Punishment Game to inflict once this was over. (DLP: 4000)

"If I was capable of beating you? You think you're stronger than me just because you're older? Well I'll prove you wrong and make you pay for your perverted comments!" She snapped a card off her deck violently, her eyes still mostly red. Drake's attention was now completely focused on the game at hand, and he was about to find out what sort of strategy Rikuo's daughter used.

"You're a student, which means you're learning how to play and improve yourself. You wouldn't be any match for me." Eri growled and picked a card from her hand to play, ready to begin at last.

"In case you hadn't noticed you're a student too!" Drake blinked and looked down at his blue uniform, then laughed at his own comment.

"Guess you got me there."

"Yes, and now I'm about to get you for good! The darkness is just beginning!" He noticed that she looked supremely evil in this moment, and that was bad for him. He didn't know everything about Rikuo, but he honestly wondered how his daughter ended up being so twisted and angry.

"Ah to be naive and angry again." He paused for a moment to think his statement over. "Actually, I was a serious ass when I was angry like that. I prefer how I am now."

_'Girls in uniform may be cute, but having to play a darkness game for checking one out really sucks. Hopefully Kirani will have a better attitude about it.'_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Next chapter: A Collision of Major Egos

Author's Notes: And there you go, chapter two.

G.O.T. Nick: Drake has grown up a bit and is taking a chance to relax and be regular. After all, this is his third chance at life.

WolfGeneral: Yes, he did indeed deserve those. Of course Rikuo also has anger managment problems, so that contributes.

Time Mage: Rikuo isn't exactly going undercover. Drake just assumed he would, not knowing that Rikuo had a daughter attending the school.

Original Cards

Adriel: Dragon Unleashed

Drake: Magister School, Ghost Sorcerer, Chaos Apprentice


	4. A Collision of Major Egos

Author's Note: I'm on fire here...

_**Chapter Three: A Collision of Major Egos**_

"_You think you have more power than I do? I'll show you real power! Erika Amero is worth ten times what human scum like you is worth! So allow me to really give you power!" A black dome arose around them, giving off negative energy. Not only did Drake recognize the effect, but he knew the place. She had just started a Darkness Game._

_But that wasn't foremost on his mind. First thing on his mind was quite different than that. 'Amero? Shit! That means she's Rikuo's daughter. I hit on Rikuo's daughter....when he finds out he's gonna kill me for sure!'_

"_Are you even paying attention? I'm going to explain the rules of a Darkness Game to you, or would you rather just die horribly here and now?" Drake blinked and returned his attention to the game at hand. She had already activated her duel disk and was holding a hand of cards. That meant it was going to be Duel Monsters. (ELP: 4000)_

"_No need to explain. Like I said, I'm not a normal human. I've participated in Darkness Games before. Considering your disposition towards violence I can only assume that if you were capable of beating me you'd inflict something nasty on me. Lucky for you I'm nicer than that." He drew his own hand of five cards, trying to decide on a Punishment Game to inflict once this was over. (DLP: 4000)_

"_If I was capable of beating you? You think you're stronger than me just because you're older? Well I'll prove you wrong and make you pay for your perverted comments!" She snapped a card off her deck violently, her eyes still mostly red. Drake's attention was now completely focused on the game at hand, and he was about to find out what sort of strategy Rikuo's daughter used._

"_You're a student, which means you're learning how to play and improve yourself. You wouldn't be any match for me." Eri growled and picked a card from her hand to play, ready to begin at last._

"_In case you hadn't noticed you're a student too!" Drake blinked and looked down at his blue uniform, then laughed at his own comment._

"_Guess you got me there."_

"_Yes, and now I'm about to get you for good! The darkness is just beginning!" He noticed that she looked supremely evil in this moment, and that was bad for him. He didn't know everything about Rikuo, but he honestly wondered how his daughter ended up being so twisted and angry._

"_Ah to be naive and angry again." He paused for a moment to think his statement over._

"_Actually, I was a serious ass when I was angry like that. I prefer how I am now."_

'_Girls in uniform may be cute, but having to play a darkness game for checking one out really sucks. Hopefully Kirani will have a better attitude about it.'_

Erika Amero, normally called Eri, didn't like most people. She particularly didn't like most guys, whom she considered to be despicable bastards as a general rule, with only a few exceptions. Standing before her was, in her mind, a prime example of the proof of that rule.

Drake felt his dueling spirit spark at the enraged look in his opponent's eyes. She had a true duelist's spirit down there, covered by her rage._ 'She has the potential to unleash the true power of a duelist. Now I'm going to see if she can, even if this is my fault.'_

Eri smirked and fanned out her hand of six cards, the duel just now beginning. With only four thousand life points to deal with all of her burn cards should make this easy. He might be older than her and an upperclassman of Obelisk Blue by the looks of it, but he was just a mortal, while she was the daughter of a great demon lord.

"Prepare to die mortal, because I'm going to start this duel off with a bang! Death Meteor, go and drain him of one-fourth of his life points!" A pitch black meteor shrieked down from above, and exploded against Drake. A cloud of smoke shielded him from her view, but even over the echoing sound of the explosion she could hear his life points ticking away. (DLP: 3000)

"That's the power of a Darkness Game fool! Everything is so much more real, and I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't stand after that assault!" She snickered in a very wolfish way, bearing what passed for fangs. She hoped the bastard had died.

"Couldn't stand? Do you really take me for someone so weak?" The smoke drifted away, revealing Drake standing exactly where he had been. He was totally unharmed, with not even a speck of dust showing on his pristine blue uniform.

"But how?! With that amount of damage you should have at least felt something! The explosion was big enough to blow up a tank!" Drake responded with a confident smirk, and by crossing his arms over his chest.

"I told you before this, I'm not a normal human. I have a lot more power than most people, and that power is boosted by something very precious to me." He reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace. Dangling from the end of the necklace was a golden disc, embossed with a strange looking eye.

"Egyptian magic. Father told me about this once before, but I never expected to see it in action. Well, I'll see if the power of a demon can outrank the power of Egypt!" She grabbed another card from her hand and slammed it down onto the disk.

"Twisted Fiend(1900/700) in attack mode!" A piercing call shot through the air as a warped looking black lizard appeared in front of her. It was certainly powerful attack wise, but that wasn't the only reason Eri had the card.

"Since I just summoned it Twisted Fiend now steals away three hundred of our life points each. Feel the sting of my monster!" The lizard bit down on her neck, sucking away energy and life points. Then it jumped over to Drake and did the same. (ELP: 3700, DLP: 2700)

The older duelist shook his head to clear it of a slight fog brought on by the drain of the Twisted Fiend. _'It's a good thing I've got a lot of power reserves; otherwise this duel could get really dangerous for me.'_

"I'm not finished with you yet! I set two cards face down, and then I'll activate the magic card Book of the Dead! I can now draw cards off the top of my deck until I reach a monster, which is summoned to the field. The rest I discard." She picked up five cards total, and ditched the first four.

"Meet the creature that is going to be your demise! Chaos Shaman(500/500)!" Her monster was concealed by a black robe and helmet that looked to be made of bone. It appeared crouching with its robe spread around it, so Drake was sure it was in defense mode.

"I'm going to end my turn, activating its effect! I draw cards from the top of my deck until I reach a monster, then I deal half that monster's attack in damage to you!" She drew three cards, and shuffled two of them back into her deck. The third she flipped up to show him.

"Dark Necrofear(2200/2800)!" A slim hand reached out from under the shaman's robe, and a wave of dark energy was unleashed from it. Drake raised his own palm and the black light crashed against it, exploding and leaving no trace. At least except for the singe marks on his hand. (DLP: 1600)

'_She's a powerful duelist, but I should have expected that from the daughter of Rikuo. She's also more psychotic than he is, but I can't just crush her. I'll go slow for the moment.'_ He drew his sixth card, finally having decided how to play this out.

"That was a good move, but not necessarily good enough. Considering how strong your Twisted Fiend is, I don't think I can manage an attack yet, so I'll set a monster instead." A card appeared horizontally in front of him, keeping him defended.

"I'll set these next cards down on my field and then end my turn." He loaded two cards onto the DD3 (or whatever it was), providing him with a temporary stall. There was more he could have done, but he wasn't going to use his full power against a duelist who wasn't at his level.

Now that it was Eri's turn once again she was intent on crushing him with her power. He'd feel her wrath right now. "I begin by playing the continuous magic card Situational Despair! If you don't attack me during your turn I get to draw one card during my turn for each monster you have on the field."

She licked her lips and took the final card of her hand and placed it onto her disk. "I'm going to enjoy ripping through your life points. I summon Death Caliber Knight(1900/1800) in attack mode!"

A hideous knight all in black rode out onto the field, swishing its blade back and forth. Drake didn't flinch at seeing its stats. "Another monster with such a powerful attack. I thought more of you, but I guess you just aren't the duelist I thought you were. Here I was thinking you used strategy, but it looks like it's all brute force."

A look of rage flared up in her eyes, causing them to flash red for a brief second. She roared her anger, pointing at his face down monster. "I'll show you brute force! Death Caliber Knight, destroy his defense monster!"

The knight trotted forwards and slammed his blade down on the set monster. It appeared in front of Drake, a magician in dark robes with a half-sun in the center. With a wave of its hand it pushed back Death Caliber Knight, remaining unharmed. "You attacked Sunset Magician(1300/2000) who has more defense power than your monster has attack." (ELP: 3600)

Drake picked up a card off his deck and added it to his hand, nodding to his monster in explanation. "Whenever Sunset Magician is involved in battle I get to draw a card. So thanks for that." She growled her frustration, realizing she couldn't get past his magician quite yet.

"I may not be able to hurt you with my monsters, but I can still use effects. Chaos Shaman, my turn is over, so use your power!" When she reached her monster she showed it to him, a ghostly horse with a decent attack strength.

"My Hellmare has fifteen hundred attack points, so you'll live for the time being." Chaos Shaman blasted Drake again, and he let it come, deflecting the blast with his own energy. He saw no point in getting hurt from such a measly amount of damage. (DLP: 850)

Smiling, the false Obelisk Blue student looked over his hand of four cards. He didn't have quite what he wanted yet, so he'd wait. "Your monsters are still too strong, but I'm not worried considering I'm so much more powerful than you as a duelist. I set a monster and one card face down. End Turn."

"More powerful of a duelist? How dare you?! Look at the life point score, the bulk of the measly damage to me was caused by my own effect! You haven't touched me at all!" Drake shrugged, still smiling confidently. Eri's eyes flashed red again at his pure arrogance.

"Since you didn't attack last turn and you have two monsters I get to draw an extra two cards this turn!" She slid a total of three cards off her deck, restoring her hand. Now she was going to make him pay for his arrogance.

"I summon Death Credit Mage(1700/1200) to join my other monsters!" An undead wizard took shape, wielding a staff of a dark wood. Drake had heard of this monster, and knew that its effect would actually help him out if she attacked with it.

"I'm going to see if I can keep you on the run. Death Credit Mage, attack and destroy his face down monster!" The undead mage hurled his wooden staff at Drake's monster, blasting it to pieces. But it suddenly reformed as an ageless man in black robes.

"You attacked Sage of Unending Darkness(400/500) which means you flipped him. When you flip him I flip a coin, and if I call it right you have to discard five cards off your deck. If I guess wrong I take one thousand damage. Do or die right?" He reached into his pocket and revealed a small coin which he promptly tossed into the air.

"With Sage of Unending Darkness the outcome is bound to be tails." With a calm and practiced motion he grabbed it in mid-air and slapped it onto the back of his other hand. Slowly he picked his hand up off of it, revealing the coin only to him.

"It's heads." Eri smirked and burst out laughing at his misfortune. Despite his utmost confidence he had failed to guess correctly.

"You're pathetic! All your mocking words and you weren't even a match for me at all!" She threw back her head and laughed, delighted at this turn of events. Now that she had won she could inflict whatever punishment she wanted on him.

"I'm not a weak duelist Ms. Cosplay. I activate the permanent trap card, Joyful Sorrow. Since I failed in an effect I can make it work by allowing you to draw a card. You draw a card, and then you discard five cards from your deck." She scowled and drew another card, then sent five of her next cards to the cemetery. She'd gone through more than half of her deck already.

"Oh and Erika, keep in mind that your Death Credit Mage sends my Sage of Unending Darkness to the top of my deck." He picked up the card and placed it on his deck, meaning he could easily set it again to cut through more of her deck.

Eri growled, but stopped when she realized that she now had three cards in her hand that she hadn't looked at yet. "I play Grave Hand, destroying your Sunset Magician and sending it to the grave!"

A rotting hand erupted from the black ground beneath the magician's feet and dragged it down. That left Drake's field completely empty except for two cards that he had face down. "You're just lucky that playing that moved me into my second main phase, so I can't continue to attack you. Now I set one card face down and end my turn."

Drake casually drew his next card, which was swiftly revealed as his Sage of Unending Darkness. With a swift motion he placed it on the field, watching as the reversed image of a card appeared in front of him. "Of course I'll set that monster face down."

Next he picked out one of the cards he had in his hand and slid it into one of the appropriate slots. "I'm going to set that card face down to join my others."

Now with two cards left in his hand Drake had just a few options, after all, he only had one zone open for magic and trap cards to be played. "Two cards in my hand...and let's count up the cards I've gone through shall we?"

"I've gone through eight cards of my deck so far and just one of those is in the cemetery. So I guess it's time I show you the power I was talking about. Don't worry, I won't finish you off...yet." He took one of those last two cards and played it into his final remaining m/t zone.

"This magic card is called Absolute Determination! Its effect allows me to draw every card in my deck. I have forty-five cards in this deck, and since I've gone through eight that means I'll be drawing thirty-seven." He began to reach for his deck, but was stopped when Eri triggered one of her own traps.

"I won't allow you that much draw power! I activate Magic-Hunting Spirit, which will negate your card and obliterate one random magic card in your hand as well!" A dark spirit exploded from her card and flew towards his own card, surrounding it with its negative energies.

"Is that so? I activate that same card that your card is aiming at from my hand. The quick-play magic card Negative Morality, which allows me to negate an effect at the cost of one thousand life points." Eri threw back her head and laughed at his stupidity, pointing at his duel disk.

"You complete moron! You don't have one thousand life points to pay!" Despite her certainty that his effect was going to fail, the spirit surrounding his magic card broke apart. The effect had been negated.

"Remember Joyful Sorrow? I just used its effect, letting you draw a card in place of that negative effect on me. Since I successfully negated your Magic-Hunting Spirit my Absolute Determination magic card succeeds!" He picked up his entire deck and fanned it out like a regular hand of cards. At least if a regular hand of cards consisted of thirty-seven cards.

Even as she drew her free card Eri cringed on the inside. With every card in his deck in his hand he could probably easily defeat her. "That shouldn't be possible! How can one card have such a powerful effect? There has to be some kind of negative point to it!"

Drake nodded sagely and popped the magic card out of his cemetery. With a flick of the wrist he tossed it over to Eri, who grabbed it in its arc. She held the card up in front of her and read the text. "Draw every card in your deck. During your opponent's end phase you lose the duel if this card is in the cemetery."

She grimaced and tossed it back to him, allowing him to replace it in his cemetery. It didn't matter at all that it would defeat him in her end phase, because with that much draw power he'd have everything needed to win the duel. "I told you before, I won't be crushing you right now. I have something much better in mind."

He pressed a button on his disk, causing a side panel to slide out. He grabbed a card from his massive hand of cards and played it into that zone. "I activate the field magic card Recycling Bin!"

With a flash the giant form of a green recycling bin took shape behind him. Eri didn't recognize the card, but she certainly wasn't impressed. "This is your move? What are you going to do, teach me how to recycle?"

Drake smirked and took another card from his hand and slid it into the final of his open magic/trap zone. "Actually, that's exactly what I'm going to be doing. So get ready to learn because I set a card face down and end my turn."

"Since my hand is much too large I'll discard all but these six cards in order to reduce my hand size to the required amount." Drake took the remaining twenty-nine cards and slid them into the cemetery, boosting the number of cards in there. He had a plan, but she was totally clueless.

She sneered and drew her next card, then drew another card from Situational Despair. "I'd love to go on the offensive right here, but I think I'd rather let you kill yourself. So I end my turn, activating both the effect of my Chaos Shaman and your Absolute Determination. You lose no matter what!"

Her opponent grinned and snapped his fingers, causing one of his own set cards to flip up. The card had an image of wrapped packages of food on it. "I trigger Emergency Provisions, and I'll send every card on my field into the cemetery in order. As the final card I'll send my Recycling Bin field card to the cemetery!"

He smirked as he slid the cards into the grave, causing his life points to go up. The effect of Emergency Provisions was quite useful in this case, but it wasn't going to save him. "It doesn't matter, you still lose because of Absolute Determination!" (DLP: 5850)

"Not exactly. While Recycling Bin is on the field it gets rid of the graveyard for both of us. All cards go into it instead of the cemetery. So whatever monster you discarded for Chaos Shaman's effect failed because it went into the bin." She grimaced, realizing that the power of her Opticlops was going to waste, nine hundred damage that had completely failed.

"Here's where things get interesting. When Recycling Bin leaves the field all cards that were in the bin are reshuffled into their owner's decks. It doesn't count itself even though it reshuffles itself back into my deck. I just reshuffled thirty-seven cards back into my deck, not counting the Recycling Bin." He took his graveyard and shuffled it together, replacing it in his deck slot.

Eri ejected the cards from her cemetery and counted them up, figuring out just how much she got back. "I reshuffled fifteen cards back into my deck from my cemetery. You may save yourself from the effect of Absolute Determination, but I can still crush you. All you have in play now is that measly sage of yours."

"I told you it was interesting. See, when Recycling Bin leaves the field I gain one hundred life points for each card reshuffled back into the deck. That's mine and yours. Since we reshuffled a total of fifty-two cards, I gain fifty-two hundred life points." Fifty-two lights swarmed around him, zipping into his duel disk to replenish his life points. (DLP: 11050)

He smirked and drew a seventh card. The worst part to Eri was the fact that of those seven cards he had chosen six of them. He had a hand composed of cards that he had selected, and that wouldn't bode well for her. _'This bastard is more talented than I expected. I'll enjoy crushing him completely.'_

"Now, I guess it's time for me to finally go on the offensive. But first I'll flip up my face down Sage of Unending Darkness(400/500). I call tails again." He took out the coin and threw it into the air, catching it as it came back down. This time when he showed it on his hand it was tails, so Eri picked up five cards and shoved them into her graveyard.

"Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'm going to play a special magic card. Go Chaos Fusion! This magic card can only fuse together a light and a dark monster, and only certain pairs. Here's the card I'm fusing with Sage of Unending Darkness." He flipped around a card in his hand, showing a card named Sage of Everlasting Light(500/400).

"Together they form Sage of Eternity(2800/2800) a ten star monster!" The monster was exactly like Sage of Unending Darkness in appearance, only it had a blue robe instead of a black one. The sage smiled brightly and waved a hand in front of itself, causing five points of light and five points of darkness to appear.

"When Sage of Eternity hits the field I get to draw five cards and you have to discard five cards off your deck." They both did so, that taking down a further chunk of Eri's deck. Drake on the other hand now had ten cards in his hand.

"I'll activate another effect of Sage of Eternity. By removing one of the fusion components I can reactivate its effect. So by removing both sages from the grave I get to draw five cards and force you to discard another five." Her eyes went wide at hearing this, and she grudgingly discarded another five cards. He was quickly burning through her deck.

"Look at this...fifteen cards in my hand. I bet some of them are really useful, wouldn't you guess that?" Eri didn't respond in words, she merely growled, clenching her fists so tightly that her claws were digging into her palms and making them bleed. She could see it already, with that many cards her own set cards would quickly prove useless.

"I know what I'll do, I'll activate Bonds of Brothers. It costs me one thousand life points, but it lets me special summon two level four or lower monsters who match the sub-type of one creature on my field. So get ready to meet two more magicians!" He ejected his deck and flipped through it, finally coming across the cards that he wanted. (DLP: 10050)

"I special summon Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600) and Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900)!" His first monster had golden robes, while the second was in robes that were patterned after the sky.

"Since Guardian Magician of the Day was special summoned I get to special summon Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400) to the field to join him!" He slapped down another monster, this one being the polar opposite of Guardian Magician of the Day. Its robes were the night sky, with stars and everything.

"The best part is...I haven't even summoned yet. Don't worry, I won't be that cruel. I will however activate the effect of Guardian Magician of the Day and Guardian Magician of the Night. As Unity Magicians they gain effects when they are on the field together. So at a cost of one thousand life points I'll destroy your magic and trap cards." (DLP: 9050)

The two magicians touched their wands together, and a beam of light erupted from the touching tips. The light swept across her field, burning away her magic and trap cards. Now all that she had was her two powerful monsters and her Chaos Shaman to protect her against that brutish force. "I am Erika Amero...I can't lose like this!"

"Sorry, but you just did. I activate Soul of the Thoughtful, which lets me replay effects this turn for a cost of five hundred each time. I'll use the other ability of my two guardian magicians, and pay one thousand to destroy every monster on your field!" Again the magicians touched their wands, this time sending a beam of pure darkness sweeping over her monsters. In seconds they were gone. (DLP: 7550)

"I'm still not done though. I activate Grave Sifting, which lets me move a card between our graveyards. I know it seems pointless, but I do have a plan in mind. I move Soul of the Thoughtful to your graveyard." He tossed her the card, which she numbly slid into her cemetery slot. She still didn't know why he was delaying.

"Here's the last one I needed. I use Instant Replay and have Grave Sifting move Soul of the Thoughtful back into my cemetery." She still didn't understand his actions, but she gave him back his magic card. None of the things he was doing made any sense to her. If she was on his end she would have crushed him already!

"I've finally done what I needed to. I sacrifice Skill Chaos Magician and its three counters to special summon Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600), my favorite monster!" The golden clothed magician vanished, suddenly replaced by a blue-skinned magician in black and red leather, wielding a deadly looking jet black staff.

"I choose to forego his effect. I just wanted to strike the final blow with him. I'll do so by activating United We Stand on him, boosting his attack power by eight hundred for each monster that's on the field. Since I'm going to finally summon my Skilled Apprentice Magician(1400/1100) that makes five monsters total." Energy flowed from the other four monsters into Black Magician of Chaos, giving him a massive blue aura.

"Finish me. I've lost." Drake nodded and extended his left arm, palm outwards. This was the final moment of the duel, and he was going to give her full respect and defeat her with his favorite monster.

"Black Magician of Chaos(6800/2600), finish her off. CHAOS SCEPTER BLAST!" The magician spun his staff over his head and then brought it slamming down onto the ground. A sphere of chaotic energy appeared and raced across the ground, breaking it apart as it went. Eri squeezed her eyes shut as the energy struck her, exploding and sending her flying into the air. (ELP: 0)

She lost consciousness for a brief moment from the sheer force of the blast. When she awoke the darkness had faded and she was propped up against a tree. Standing a few feet away from her was Drake, hands shoved in his pockets and a blank look on his face. "Awake I see."

He crouched down in front of her and stared at her. She blanched at the intense look in his violet eyes. After all the perverted joking he had done when she had first met him, she had never expected to see a look like that in his eyes. It was a look of age...and wisdom. _'He really isn't a normal human...'_

"You lost a Darkness Game to me, that means it's time for me to inflict Punishment Game upon you. So, for the punishment, how about you never tell anyone about this defeat and always remember how you were outclassed. You'll just have to constantly strive to become the strongest in order to wash away the shame of such an utter defeat." The intense look faded from his eyes and he stood back up, offering his hand to her.

She snarled and brushed it aside, rising to her feet. She looked him right in the eye, glaring for all that she was worth. But in reality it wasn't intimidation, she was looking for something. Looking for that power that she had seen deep within those eyes. "Fine. I accept the punishment. Now get away from me!"

She stormed away, leaving him standing on his own in the middle of the field. She stopped when she was about a hundred feet away and looked back, seeing him standing there. _'Someday I'll possess that kind of power. I swear it!'_

When she was out of view Drake smiled and walked back in the direction that he had been going. It was time to get a bite to eat, after all, dueling could make a guy hungry. "She was kind of psycho, but I liked her. Anybody who has that much dueling potential is cool in my book."

He stopped grinning when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. On the side of a building he was entering was a calender. Each day of the month to pass so far was crossed off, so he was able to figure out what the day was. "March thirteenth....but that means that tomorrow is..."

Drake chuckled and walked away, thinking up a plan of action. "Tomorrow Kirani and the others show up. Tomorrow is also March 14th. I hope there's some place I can find chocolate at this school."

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Next Chapter: White Day Blackened

Author's Notes: No really, I'm on fire! SOMEBODY GET SOME WATER! IT HURTS, OH GOD IT HURTS!

Hogwarts-Knight: Nope, no ego fueling for her. Thinking she could beat Drake is like thinking she could beat her own dad, which we know wouldn't happen.

Time Mage: See, won't get caught in that way. The dueling was just stupid on Drake's part, but the getting so easily recognize wasn't on purpose. Besides, he only needs to be undercover for a short time.

WolfGeneral: See, not disastrous. And next chapter we get back to the hilarious part.

G.O.T. Nick: Yay! Can I get a coupon as well along with that free review?

Original Cards

Eri: Book of the Dead(WolfGeneral), Chaos Shaman(WolfGeneral), Twisted Fiend(WolfGeneral), Situational Despair(WolfGeneral), Magic-Hunting Spirit(WolfGeneral)

Drake: Sunset Magician, Sage of Unending Darkness, Joyful Sorrow, Negative Morality, Absolute Determination, Recycling Bin, Sage of Everlasting Light, Chaos Fusion, Guardian Magician of the Day, Guardian Magician of the Night, Grave Sifting, Soul of the Thoughtful, Sage of Eternity, Skilled Chaos Magician, Skilled Apprentice Magician, Instant Replay

Anime Original Cards

Eri: Death Credit Mage, Death Caliber Knight

Drake: Bonds of Brothers


	5. White Day Blackened

Author's Notes: Time to have a little bit of fun...

_**Chapter Four: White Day Blackened**_

Valentine's Day, February 14th. Named after St. Valentine, a man who in reality never existed. The holiday was in fact developed from an older Roman holiday and became Valentine's Day. Eventually it was commercialized into its modern day form.

Into the later half of the eighteen hundreds the nation of Japan had its borders closed to every nation except, only trading with the Dutch as they had no interest in religion. Japan had been isolated throughout the days of the Tokugawa Era, however this period of isolation came to a sudden halt when the Black Feet of Commodore Perry floated into the small fishing village of Edo. Japan was now open to Western influence once again.

This influence came in many forms, and over the years Japan became more and more Westernized. The bulk of this took place following World War II and the final collapse of the warrior way of life. The Japanese took up many traits of the Western world, and one thing they adopted was Valentine's Day.

The Japanese did not leave Valentine's Day untouched. Many holidays were gender specific, such as Girl's Day and Boy's Day. Valentine's Day became much the same, and the date of February 14th, Valentine's Day itself, was a time where girls gave chocolate to those men in their lives.

This chocolate is separated into two different types. The first is called "giri-choco" and is given to friends and associates. The second is special, and is called "honmei-choco". This type of chocolate is given only to lovers and people that you like.

While Valentine's Day is the day that girls give boys chocolates, there does come a time when boys give girls chocolates either "giri-choco" or "honmei-choco." This day is March 14th, and is called White Day.

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Rikuo folded his arms and stared blankly at Drake even after Drake's explanation was finished. Behind him Eri was giving him a similar look, only hers was tinged with disgust because of the simple fact that Drake pissed her off. "And what exactly does this have to do with the bomb that went off?"

The wolf demon gestured to the mess around them, where random kitchen items seemed to have been hurled by a squall. There was also bits of egg all over the place, and flour caked the floor. Drake grimaced and leaned against the counter. "So I can't cook to save my life okay?"

To elaborate he took up a nearby wrench, and held it above his head. Rikuo took a brief moment to wonder why there was a wrench in a kitchen, and then Drake swung the wrench with all of his strength.

The giant slab of chocolate on the counter wasn't even dented. "It would make good plating for a tank, but I don't think it's edible." Rikuo leaned forward and poked it. The chocolate had no give to it, and he wondered just how tough it was.

"Give me a swing. I want to see just how crappy a cook you are." He snatched the wrench out of Drake's hands and took careful aim at the would-be chocolate. Then he swung it with the full force of his demonic strength.

The wrench snapped in half. "Holy hell..." That was about the only way to sum up the disaster that was Drake's attempt at chocolate. Eri approached it casually and punched it. Swiftly she pulled her hand away and shook it out behind her back.

Rikuo wasn't quite as quiet about the utter failure that was Drake's chocolate. "What the hell did you put in it? Grade A Steel?"

Drake grimaced and held out a cook book. The demon examined it, taking note that it was written in English. "Well, I'm better with Kanji than I am English...so I may have made a few mistranslations. But I tried to follow the recipe as closely as I could."

"You could keep it to use it as a weapon against this enemy of yours. No matter what attacks are thrown at you I can guarantee you'll be safe if you just hide behind this thing." This was the last straw for the teenager, and he fell to his knees, hands above his head and staring at the ceiling.

"WHY! Kirani will be here in three hours, and I wanted the chance to give her a special honmei-choco! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" He rose to his feet and a golden aura blazed around him. His eyes came to rest on the chocolate and his palm rose almost of its own accord.

"This is all your fault! I'll kill you till you die from it! DIE YOU BASTARD CHOCOLATE!" A solid stream of energy connected with the chocolate, and after several seconds of exposure it finally began to bubble.

Rikuo took a cautious step forward and put his hand on Drake's shoulder. "I don't think you should attack the innocent chocolate. I mean sure you'd be putting it out of its misery as such a mutant, but still...if you heat the chocolate too much"

He never got a chance to finish his sentence, because at that moment what he feared came true. Superheated by Drake's magic the chocolate, despite its toughness, exploded. Chocolate covered the room and everyone in it, meaning Drake, Rikuo, and Eri.

Now one chocolatey wolf-demon is a funny thing. Two is even funnier. This was Drake's logic that backed up his sudden burst of laughter. This laughter of course drew the attention of a particular demoness who didn't like being covered by melted chocolate.

She launched herself forwards, grabbing Drake by the collar of his now brown uniform. "I'm gonna make you pay for that! I'll be washing this out for weeks!"

Drake held up his hands defensively and came up with a reply that didn't help at all. "It wasn't me! The chocolate did it!"

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An hour or so later a somewhat more bruised but finally clean Drake exited the school store, chocolate in hand. It had taken little effort to convince him to just buy a chocolate instead of making one, as the disaster with the chocolate of steel had been enough to teach him a valuable lesson. "Now if only there was a good metaphor for sucking at cooking, like dancing with three left feet."

Drake fondly remembered the old care free days, and was glad that for the most part he had gotten a chance to return to those days. Even when he had known Malik the psycho leader of the Rare Hunter was out taking peoples souls he had been able to relax and enjoy spending time with Kirani, even if it was brief. That had been shattered by the coming of Taichi Nobuki.

Shaking away such negative thoughts the teen made his way up to the Obelisk Blue dormitories where Rikuo was waiting for him. He found the wolf demon sitting in a tree branch near the dorm, and wearing a new set of clothing. Drake was amused to see what the demon was wearing.

"So you're a punk now too huh?" Rikuo now wore a pair of dark blue jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and a leather jacket. With his wild hair he certainly looked the part, and it made Drake wish he had taken along his trench coat. He consoled himself with the memory that the blue uniform he wore was quite snazzy.

"Keh, I am a punk. More so than you could ever be." Drake raised an eyebrow and then shrugged, leaning up against the base of the tree. He continued to speak to Rikuo, only he didn't bother to look up as he talked. Even if his voice was muffled by not speaking in the right direction he was sure Rikuo's demon hearing could pick it up.

"So you're a cat demon then?" Rikuo snorted, knowing how it must look. Lounging in a tree was rather catty, but he happened to like this tree for a few reasons. For one thing he could see his daughter's room from here and could make sure she was alright.

"Would you like me to separate your lungs from your body, or would you care to withdraw that last comment?" Rikuo could practically see the teen rolling his eyes. By now Drake had gotten used to the threats, and was figuring out that mostly they weren't true. Mostly.

"I'll withdraw it on one condition. You have to explain to me exactly why you had to bring your daughter into this. I know you don't want to involve her directly, but telling her the reason you're here might not have been the best idea." Drake's train of thought halted when Rikuo hopped out of the tree and landed in front of him.

"What I choose to tell my daughter and choose not to tell her is none of your business. Got it?" Drake nodded slowly, suddenly aware that this was one situation where Rikuo was definitely serious. He didn't want to lose his lungs, so he was going to keep quiet.

"Comment withdrawn then." Rikuo smiled smugly and the two sat back to wait.

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"Boo!" Drake jerked awake at the sudden sound, looking around for the source of the voice. He saw Rikuo and Eri off to the side, and Rikuo had this amused look on his face. Eri still looked pissed, but Drake was starting to get that she always looked pissed.

Finally his gaze fell on the speaker. It was none other than Kirani, and to Drake's great joy she was in fact wearing a uniform. It was red, buttoned up at the top, and had one of those short skirts that seemed to be standard issue at the school. Kirani had also taken the occasion to tie her hair up in two very animeish pony-tails, one on each side of her head. "What do you think?"

She did a little twirl, and Drake felt his eyes slip. He blinked to clear them up, and coughed, clearing his throat. No need to sound overly enthusiastic. "You look really cute!"

Kirani smiled and stopped her spin, resting her hands on her hips. Drake noticed that she too had gotten one of the more advanced disks. "Red has always seemed to fit me well, so when I saw this uniform I knew it would work perfectly."

She tugged at the front of the uniform, her smile slipping a bit. "They didn't have that many spare uniforms that I saw, and I could find any that were fit well in front. It gets kind of uncomfortable."

As her eyes came up to meet his, he jerked his up as fast he could. "Doesn't fit in front? Really? I hadn't noticed at all!" He put a hand behind his head and started laughing. Anyone who wasn't stupid could easily tell just how false his laughter was.

Her eyes narrowed slightly and she leaned in so her face was inches from his. "Why do you think I commented? I saw you looking."

Drake had the courtesy to look abashed, and shot a glare at the snickering Rikuo. Eri seemed to be enjoying his troubles even more. "Well, would it help if I were to"

He failed to complete his sentence because of a distraction coming up over the hill. Dressed in a mostly white uniform with blue at the edges was the familiar black-haired form of Kai Kaethen. The teen raised one hand in greeting. "Salutations."

"Nice day for a walk Kai?" The younger teen nodded, absent mindedly adjusting the duel disk strapped to his arm.

"That it is. Tell me, is that the demon you told us about earlier?" When Drake said yes, Kai took the time to walk over to Rikuo. Rikuo sat there patiently as Kai walked around him in a circle.

Finally satisfied, the teen passed judgement. "You sure he's not just cosplaying?" The demon was on his feet in a second, hands on the front of Kai's uniform. He cracked his knuckles in that vague threatening way that seems more traditional for villains, and sneered at Kai.

"Do these fangs look fake to you? And the claws? What about the eyes?" He would have continued ranting, but Kirani stepped up and grabbed his ear painfully, pulling him away from Kai.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't kill any of us, since we do need to work together. Drake mentioned that you had some powerful friends. Did you intend to get them involved?" Rikuo grumbled and rubbed his ear which was now throbbing.

"I made a few calls to alert some of my friends, but none of them could come at the moment. If something changes they said they'd get in touch with me. So now that the gang's all here, what's the first step you had in mind?" Kirani shook her head and took a seat on a nearby log so she could explain everything from a more comfortable position.

"Not all of us are here yet. There's still one more guy on his way, and we shouldn't make a move until he gets here. Drake, what have you learned so far?" All eyes now focused on the blue clad duelist, who made himself comfortable by once again leaning against the tree.

"The faculty wasn't really talkative, but that's probably because they're trying to keep it quiet. Someone who is more obviously an adult and not a parent of a student might get some answers, so Dalin is our option there." He rubbed his chin in thought, his eyes drifting skywards as he continued speaking.

"One thing I do know is that each of the boys who have gone into 'comas' are members of Osiris Red, and younger students as well. I heard from some of the other students that those kids are part of a group that get together every so often and play RPGs. Not all of them are soulless, so we need to figure out who isn't. The problem with that is nobody seems to know them."

They were all jolted out of their thoughts when Eri smashed a fist through the log she was sitting on and splintering it. "What's the problem? Just tell those snotty Osiris Red kids that if they don't talk I'll rip out their throats!"

"As tempting as that might seem to them I doubt it'll get a better answer. So our two options as I see it are having Dalin pose as some kind of investigator or getting someone amongst the Osiris Red students that they might trust more. Obviously they don't like Obelisk Blue members so..." He let the thought lie, and all eyes came to rest on the one figure amongst them dressed in red.

Kirani blinked, and after a moment of processing she realized exactly what Drake was saying. "If you think I'm gonna go in and flirt with a bunch of kids then you've got a few screws loose. I'm nineteen years old, and I'm not gonna flirt with fourteen year olds!"

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Kirani sighed as she stopped in front of the fairly run down building. There were various students gathered around outside of it, apparently watching a duel that was going on. "I can't believe I'm going to be flirting with a bunch of kids."

Drake's words came back to her, and she mentally noted that she should inflict bodily harm on him as soon as possible. He had said, _"You don't have to flirt with them, just talk to a few of the underclassmen, generally the nerds I guess, and see if you can charm a few answers out of them."_

"Charm answers out of them? That's flirting you jackass and you know it!" She grumbled under her breath and then continued her trek.

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"I thought you were going to give her that chocolate you bought." Drake nodded, knowing that he had blown it. He had missed out on a perfect opportunity to give Kirani the honmei-choco, and now he was probably incurring her wrath by sending her to investigate the Osiris Red students.

"I'll just have to give it to her later. I feel a little bad about sending her to charm answers out of those kids, but it really was the only option. Hopefully giving her the chocolate afterwards will make her less pissed at me for that." He sighed and slumped down against the tree, his eyes staring out into the distance, wondering what she was doing right then.

Kai looked over at Drake and asked a question that had been on his mind for a while now. "Your relationship as it were...I've never understood it. What brings you two close together like you are?"

"Well it's kinda complicated. Let me see if I can get it to a place where you can understand it. Umm...well, we get along really well, we can feel relaxed around each other, we share a lot of the same interests. It's hard to explain but...there's just a connection there. I mean, what do you look for in a girl Kai?" This question caught the other teen off guard, and he had to pause for a moment to think of an answer.

"Well, I'd prefer a woman of intelligence, who is knowledgeable about many facets of the world. A woman with great confidence but who isn't arrogant. Attractive but doesn't flaunt it. Calm, steady, determined. A woman who follows the path she has chosen and never strays from it." Silence reigned after this declaration, and the only sound that could be heard was that of wind rustling through the leaves.

Finally the silence was broken by Drake. "So...basically Isis then?" Kai hit the ground hard, his expression priceless.

"I never said that!" Drake burst out laughing, his suspicions confirmed just by Kai's reaction.

Off to the side Rikuo and Eri stared at the scene with confusion, neither one knowing who Isis was or anything about Kai. "You confused princess?" The demoness nodded, and they both turned back to watch the growing argument between Kai and Drake.

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"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The people were known as individuals, but apparently nobody in Osiris Red knows who was involved except for those who were involved. Unless I asked every single member of Osiris Red I'll never figure out who else was there." The group groaned at hearing this, realizing that it was much more difficult than they had thought.

"Hey Kirani, mind if I talk to you in private?" She shrugged and walked over to him, so he lead her a bit away. Once they were out of sight, and out of hearing range of even demon hearing, he was ready.

"I'm sorry about sending you off to do such a stupid thing. And uhh...well, since it's the fourteenth of March I wanted to give you something." He held the box out to her, and she willingly accepted it.

She took one look at the Kanji of 'honmei' on the front and her face lit up with that smile that Drake loved to see. "I can't believe it! Thanks!" She threw her arms around him in a hug, and he grinned at seeing her happy again.

"So, that really means that" She suddenly became perhaps the third person that day to fail to complete a sentence. She was cut off as the Millennium Disc began to glow, and a huge surge of power could be felt somewhere on the island.

The power was confirmed as Kai and Rikuo both rushed over the hill. Rikuo had told Eri to stay behind. "This what you were expecting?"

Drake grimaced and shook his head, not knowing what was happening. "I think it's time we go investigate!"

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The whole group stopped outside of the hospital wing where the comatose boys were being kept. Through the window they could see quite a bit of activity, confirming their suspicion that someone else had lost their soul. "Damn it..."

"He was found like this outside the Ra Yellow dorm just a few minutes ago. Nobody knows what happened, but there is one clue." Everyone turned, startled by the sudden presence. What they found was the towering blonde haired figure of Dalin Imaki Sumatin, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Took you long enough to get here. So, what clue?" In response Dalin chucked something that was waded up at them. With his demonic reflexes Rikuo caught it, and then let it unfold. What he saw was a crumpled up bit of a red uniform.

He held it up to his nose and took a sniff of it. "There are a couple of scents on it, but I can seek them out at the Osiris Red dorms pretty easily. So, are we gonna get going or what?"

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As they group left the hospital wing they failed to notice the figure perched on top of the building. He stared down at the departing group with his cold eyes, and fiddled with a red uniform top that was in his hands. The corner of it had been torn, with a piece missing.

"There always has to be bait for a trap to be sprung."

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Next Chapter: Child of the Enemy

Author's Notes: It got a bit jumbled at the end I know, but we're getting to the point.

WolfGeneral: Trying to make it all fit with your story and not screw stuff up.

G.O.T. Nick: Yeah...sometimes Drake just doesn't think before he does things.

Adriel Touchstone: Adriel won't play much of a part, nor will any characters for LoDD, but I figured it was nice to have things connect.

Time Mage: Just like he said, he decided to show her as much strength as she deserved to experience in a duel. It was also his way of saying "Don't challenge random people to Darkness Games because it might suck ass for you."

Reiko5: Wow...thanks. Well, if you like this story you should go check out the other Yu-gi-oh stories I have.


	6. Child of the Enemy

Author's Notes: Onwards to the next chapter...which is this one.

_**Chapter Five: Child of the Enemy**_

"So, how is it coming along?" Daniel Pilkington, long time duelist and currently a father, was watching his son busy at work in reconstructing his deck. Ichigo was young, but still a determined duelist. He wanted to be a champion duelist, just like his dad.

In a few years Daniel had the intention of letting his son attempt to enter the famed Duelist Academy established by Seto Kaiba. At the moment he knew his son wasn't at a level where he'd be able to get in, and he knew neither he nor his wife Jennie would be willing to part with him so easily at his age.

"Going fine dad. These new cards I got at the store are really helping out my deck. Soon I'll be the strongest duelist alive!" Daniel smiled as Ichigo did a little dance around the table, probably imagining himself winning the World Tournament.

In fact, it was thanks to the World Tournament that Ichigo had this deck to work with at all. But that was a story for a different day, and he had other things on his mind. Like a call from Rikuo just last night telling him to be on the look out for 'some freaky villain' as Rikuo had put it. _'What does that even mean?'_

Rikuo had been extremely vague during their conversation. All his dark half had done was explain that a kid from about sixteen years ago had showed up at his door looking barely older than he was previously and clued Rikuo into the coming of some body snatcher enemy of theirs who would seek out powerful people like demons.

'_How am I supposed to be on the look out when I don't have a clue what this person might look like? And what kid is he even talking about? Did he mean the one who convinced him to return to the dueling circuit?'_ With so little information, all he could do was ponder the situation.

The sound of a bell reached Daniel's sensitive wolf-ears, but like any proper man he chose to completely ignore it. At least up until the point when a certain special person chided him for it. "Daniel, get up and answer the door, I'm busy and I know you're just being lazy!"

Grumbling the half-demon marched to the door and pulled it open, revealing a very tall and powerful looking fellow. His muscles seemed to have muscles, and his dark brown hair hung freely down to his shoulders. "Ummm...hi?"

The big man looked down at him, a very cold stare making Daniel freeze in place for a moment. _'This guy is scarier than Rikuo can be...that's impressive. He looks human too.'_

"Daniel Pilkington, I was curious if you'd be willing to duel me. I have a record as a high ranked duelist in what you might call the Underworld of Dueling. In other words, floating dueling tournaments." Daniel was familiar with this idea.

The whole basis of Underworld of Dueling was that gambling on duels, just like on most other things, was illegal. So the Underworld of Dueling was established to allow betting on duels, while the force level of the duel disks was turned up to maximum. This meant that Underworld duels got dangerous. _'So he's tough, I could have figured that much from his appearance.'_

"You mean you want to see just how well a high ranked duelist like myself can do against you. I assume you want to play it by your rules." A slow smile spread across the man's cold features and he nodded his head ever so slightly.

"If you succeed in defeating me I'm willing to give you anything that you want from me. If you lose the duel, I can proceed to take anything I want from you. An even trade, wouldn't you agree?" Daniel narrowed his eyes, beginning to wonder what this guy was up to. Could this man be the one that Rikuo had been talking about?

'_Do I really want to face this guy if he is some villain? It's not like he's threatened me so far, but I don't know this mystery enemy's MO. But if he is the villain and I refuse the duel, he just might go after my family to get what he wants.'_ Knowing that he had no other option, Daniel made his choice.

"I'll accept it. Now, would you mind telling me your name?" The tall man paused to consider this for a moment, and then finally deigned to give him a response.

"My name is Dalin Imaki Sumatin."

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The entire group strode over the hill towards the crummy housing development that was the Osiris Red male dormitory. About half a mile away was the female dormitory for Osiris Red. They were currently all following Rikuo, who was stopping every few seconds to take a whiff of the air. "The way his nose twitches is rather dog-like isn't it?"

Drake cast a curious glance at Kai who had just spoken. Kai had been watching Rikuo with an interested look ever since the two had met. Rikuo had basically been ignoring the teen, yet Kai continued to show interest. "I thought you were into Isis? What's with the staring at Rikuo?"

Kai showed him a withering glare, and Drake just grinned in response. "I'm not like that. Think about it Drake, this is the first time I've ever met a demon. If I could sit him down and talk to him I could learn tons of things! He must be ancient, so he's bound to know things about the past that nobody else in the world does!"

"Figures you'd be interested in what he knows about the past. What ever happened to the present?" But his words fell on deaf ears, as Kai already seemed to be imagining that far away past. Drake rolled his eyes, and then reached out with his senses.

He wasn't picking up on any malevolent emotions, but he didn't know all the powers that the dark spirit had. Perhaps it had the ability to mask itself from the items. After all, it had absorbed the power of several of them. "Finding anything yet Rikky?"

Said demon sent a glare Drake's way that highly resembled Kai's from just moments previous. "I'm finding way too much. The scents have crossed in so many different directions that it's impossible to track it."

"I found something. Take a look over there." They all flocked toward's Kirani's voice, and looked off in the direction that she was pointing. What they saw was a gaggle of older boys, from Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue, all gathered around a small group of younger Osiris Red students. They seemed to be harassing them.

The motley crew of duelists marched over to the gathering and stood at the outskirts, watching and listening. It seemed that the upperclassmen were just ragging on the lower class Osiris Red kids.

"What's wrong Kodowari? You mad about us pushing around you and your drop-out friends? Gonna go crazy on us like your old man?" The Obelisk Blue boy who was speaking seemed to be addressing a shorter boy with black hair who was being held back by his friends.

"My father wasn't crazy!" The enraged young teen broke away from his friends and made a wild swing at the older boy. Not expecting an attack the Obelisk Blue student staggered backwards as the blow connected with his cheek.

"You Obelisk Blue jerks, you always think you're so much better than everyone else! My father was a high class duelist, and he wasn't crazy. As his son I swear to uphold the family name, so I challenge you to a duel Bato!" The kid extended his arm, and his advanced duel disk activated.

Bato smirked and activated his own disk, sliding his deck into the holster. "I'll accept your challenge drop-out boy. I'll uphold my name as a duelist, now let's see if you can uphold your family name. This duel is on!" (BLP: 4000)

The crowd parted a bit, giving them a better view of the proceedings. Now with a clear view of the two duelists, each member of their group except Rikuo made a shocking revelation. The Osiris Red boy was about five and half feet tall, had black hair, and ice blue eyes. Except for a few different features, he could be a clone of, "Taichi..."

"I, Kodowari Nobuki, shall uphold the honor of my father's name! So I'll start this duel off by throwing a monster in defense mode!" He slammed the card onto his disk, and a horizontal card shimmered into view in front of him.

"End Turn!" Everyone was surprised by his rash actions, but the group of upperclassmen all seemed amused by it. One student even nudged Drake in the ribs, cracking a joke about drop-out Osiris Red kids. At least that proved the ruse was working.

Bato smirked and unfolded his hand, selecting the cards he wanted to play. He took one card and slid it into his grave, along with another card. "By discarding a card I can activate a special magic card called Cost Down. This will lower the level of all monsters in my hand by two for the duration of the turn."

"Now, since I've successfully dropped the level of my monsters down, prepare to be trampled underfoot. You shouldn't have played defense against me, because I summon Dark Driceratops(2300/2000) in attack mode!" A giant behemoth dinosaur stampeded onto the field, denting the ground with its massive feet.

"My beast has the ability to deal damage through defense, but he's going to get a boost in one second. You see, I equip him with Ballista of Rampart Smashing. This card increases the attack points of any monster by 1500 when it attacks a monster that is face down. So when my Driceratops attacks your monster, it will have forty-eight hundred points!" A cannon attached itself to the dinosaur, with a big spear-like weapon mounted in it.

Despite this threat, Kodowari didn't seem overly bothered. Drake didn't know what it was, but something about Kodowari told him that this kid was deadlier than he seemed. "Dark Driceratops, trample all over his set monster!"

The beast roared, and ran right over the monster. It shattered and vanished, leaving nothing but dust. Kodowari still didn't seem bothered. "You succeeded in destroying my Game Blueprints(0/950), so now I get to special summon a Game Console(0/2000) from my deck." (KLP: 150)

A sleek black box appeared in the place of the set monster. It had four little plugs in front and a space on top that something seemed to go in. Bato sneered at the appearance of this monster, and then slid his remaining cards into his disk. "I set those two cards and end."

The moment Kodowari drew, one of Bato's two cards flipped up. "I reveal Power Balance, which I can only use if my hand is zero cards. You must discard half of your hand and then I get to draw the same amount."

Kodowari shoved three of his cards into the grave, and then Bato drew the same amount. "I activate Pot of Greed." Using the effect of the card Kodowari drew an additional two cards.

"Now, I summon Game Cartridge(500/500). Its effect boosts the attack of Game Console by five hundred and its defense by one thousand. Therefore Game Console now has three thousand defense points." A square game appeared above the console, and then slid into the appropriate slot on top.

"The effect of Game Chip(0/0) lets me special summon it to the field. It then boosts Game Console by a further five hundred points in both stats." A tiny little chip slid into the back of the console, and its stats altered to match it. Now its defense was an impressive thirty-five hundred.

Dalin folded his arms and made a declaration that stunned all of the academy students. "He's going to win." The rest of the group nodded in agreement. They could all see it in Kodowari's eyes.

"I activate the magic card Cheat Code-Power Boost. This increase the attack and defense of all game monsters by one thousand for the duration of the turn!" The stats of the three monsters changed again. Game Chip now had a respectable one thousand points, Game Cartridge had fifteen hundred, and Game Console had two thousand attack and forty-five hundred defense.

"Thanks to the ability of Game Console I need no life point payments for effects. So I activate Weapon Change, which lets me swap the attack and defense of warrior or machines for the turn at a cost of seven hundred life points. Now I use this effect to reverse the stats of each of my monsters!" The creatures powers fluctuated, and suddenly Game Console was as powerful as Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

Bato didn't seem worried though, and everyone knew his confidence was placed in his single remaining card. Unfortunately for him, his confidence was about to be shattered. "The effect of Game Chip makes all game monsters immune to traps. So your set cards is useless."

"Game Console, Power Surge Attack!" Energy lit up from the four plugs, and a beam of electricity shot out from each. They speared through the Dark Driceratops, blowing it into little pixels. Now all Bato had left was a useless set card. (BLP: 1800)

"Game Chip, go direct!" A tiny stream emerged from the plug, obviously sent by the chip inside the console. It hit Bato in the chest, and his life points took a plunge, leaving him with a sparse few left. There was absolutely no way for him to win. (BLP: 800)

"Here is the final blow, courtesy of your insult on my father! Game Cartridge, finish him off!" One final beam of electricity hit the Obelisk Blue duelist, and the duel was over. The other students stood in shock, unable to comprehend how a lowly Osiris Red kid was able to beat a member of Obelisk Blue. (BLP: 0)

"Lucky hand, that's all it was. You just go lucky." The other Obelisk Blue students murmured their agreements, but they were stopped when someone snorted in disgust.

"Losers like you ruin the name of duelists everywhere. Kodowari won fair and square, and I know why. His skill runs in the family. His father was a powerful duelist who I happen to have met, and no loser like you could beat his son." The Obelisk Blue and Ra Yellow students stood in awe as the shorter red uniformed Kirani now seemed to tower over them in her rage.

"What do you know? You're just another drop-out student from Osiris Red!" Regaining their confidence the group started to snicker. Knowing Kirani as well as he did, Drake knew that this little bit of laughter was the stupidest thing they could possibly have done.

"Is that so? Well then, if you'd like to prove your strength, why don't some of you duel me. The strongest three duelists amongst you versus this lowly little Osiris Red drop-out student. Or don't you think you can handle a cute little girl like me?" The dangerous smirk also told Drake all that he needed to know.

"Those guys are totally screwed." Kai and Dalin just nodded in agreement, each of them well aware of her skill. Rikuo on the other hand didn't know what to expect, but he was happy that he was going to see an interesting duel. Three on one was bound to be fun to watch.

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Daniel stared calmly at his large and dangerous opponent, who stood a good fifteen or so feet away. Dalin had chosen the setting to be in a neighborhood courtyard, where people usually came to play basketball. Now a small crowd had gathered to watch the duel.

"Have you deactivated all of the safeties for your duel disk?" Daniel nodded, unafraid of how dangerous it was. He had been in Darkness Games, and he was sure that this was nowhere near as bad as that. His demon constitution would also help out in protecting him.

"Then let this game begin! Know what lies on the line, and feel free to take the first move." Their disks came online, and they swiftly drew their opening hands. Daniel drew one more, showing that he was indeed going to first. (DLLP: 4000)

'_So this is what my Soul Deck has for me today. So be it.'_ Now that he knew what his deck was, he knew the sort of strategy he had to follow. This meant that he knew what his opening move was going to be.

"I'll start this duel off light by summoning my E-Hero Burst Lady(1200/800) in attack mode!" An elegant woman in rd and black spandex was summoned in front of him, looking shockingly real to the members of the crowd who hadn't seen a duel like this before.

"Now I'll set a single card face down, and that's all for now." He had decided to start off light, since he didn't know the style that this duelist played. He was bound to be good if he was high ranked in the Underworld of Dueling, but that also meant he was a mystery.

"A standard opening move. I would have thought better of you. Now, allow me to show you the power that a duelist who truly lays everything on the line is. The power that comes only when you risk it all. Draw!" Dalin added the card to his hand, and Daniel felt a surge of power. (DLP: 4000)

'_Magic...this guy has magic. So not only is he a physical behemoth, but he's magically very powerful. That explains how he's gotten far in the Underworld of Dueling. Now let's see what sort of strategy he has in store for me.'_ As he had been thinking, Dalin had been really getting his turn started.

"Witness the perfect beginning. I summon one of my favorite monsters to the field. Come on out and show your power, Dark Angel Banafor(1700/1200)!" The flapping of wings brought Daniel's attention the being that was swooping down from above. Born by midnight colored wings was a fiendishly handsome man, clothed in the finest of silks. But his eyes were burning orbs.

"Whenever my Dark Angel Banafor is summoned to the field the opponent takes five hundred points of damage. Burning Orb Strike!" The dark angel cupped its hands together, and then hurled a ball of black fire at Daniel. The ball hit his shoulder and spun him around, letting him feel the force of such power along with the very realistic heat. (DLLP: 3500)

"First blood goes to you Dalin, but first blood doesn't mean anything. Show me if you have the skill to back up your boasting." The crowd around them cheered, excited by their way of talking about the duel. It was really starting to get them riled up.

"First blood was mine, and so shall last blood. Dark Angel Banafor will strike down your elemental hero. Burning Blood Orb Strike!" Banafor created a larger sphere of black fire, and then launched it straight at Burst Lady. With its superior power Banafor would easily overtake the heroine and destroy her.

"I'm not amateur Dalin, I wouldn't leave Burst Lady undefended. Now I activate my quick-play magic card, Underdog's Rage! This now boosts the attack of all normal monsters on my field by one thousand until the end of my turn!" Burst Lady flexed her arms, and suddenly she beefed up, her muscles bulging through her suit.

"Now my monster is stronger than yours, and she's about to send your attack straight back at you!" The now powered up Burst Lady extended her arms and caught the black flame. She gritted her teeth as the ball of fire pushed her backwards, but slowly she managed to start moving it in the opposite direction.

Dalin sneered and flipped a card from his hand around. "I activate my own quick-play card, one known as Negative Morality. It costs one thousand life points, but it can negate an effect of any type. Therefore your little lady loses her power bonus and becomes easy prey for Dark Angel Banafor." (DLP: 3000)

"No!" Burst Lady's muscles suddenly vanished, and she was now overpowered. The flame washed over her, leaving nothing in its wake. The remains of the ball of fire hit Daniel hard, and only his demonic strength kept him from being pushed backwards. (DLLP: 3000)

"The secondary effect of Banafor now activates. Whenever he destroys an opponent's monster he inflicts three hundred life points of damage to the opponent. Burning Orb Strike!" Once again the dark angel launched an attack, this one sweeping Daniel's leg out from under him and knocking him flat on his face. (DLLP: 2700)

The demon grumbled and hopped back onto his feet. He brushed off his pants, and turned his attention back to the situation at hand. _'He's definitely good. He knew ahead of time that I'd be using my card against him, so he kept Negative Morality in his hand to save it for when I did use my set card.'_

"I'd like it if you would impress me in your next turn Pilkington. Otherwise I will be severely disappointed by you. One card face down, and that shall be all." The card appeared behind Banafor, and Dalin's turn was complete.

Daniel drew and looked at the new card. As soon as he did he knew what he could do to take down a large chunk of Dalin's life points. "Let's get this show on the road shall we? I activate Warrior Returning Alive to bring back Burst Lady and add her to my hand."

He picked up the card and then took two more from his hand, including the card he had just drawn. "Now I activate Polymerization, fusing E-Hero Burst Lady(1200/800) with E-Hero Featherman(1000/1000) in order to form one of the mightiest of the Elemental Heroes!"

What emerged from the spiraling vortex was a tall green clad figure with a dragon for an arm. Posing as it was, it struck an impressive figure. The crowd gave it a complimentary 'ooo' and some of them even went 'ahhh' at the sight of it. "Meet E-Hero Flame Wingman(2100/1800)!"

"This is your weapon against me? Very well, carry on." Dalin folded his arms across his chest, awaiting Daniel's move. Considering he had blown more than half of his hand on this monster he couldn't afford to screw up now.

"Flame Wingman, attack Banafor with your Flame Shoot!" The hero raised his dragon arm, and a spiraling jet of flame shot out of it. Dalin waited till the last minute, and then unfolded his arms and snapped his fingers.

"Reveal trap card, Dark Draining Barrier." A black web of energy wrapped around Dalin's field, and the flames swirled around it uselessly. Then the web curled in around the fire, and trapped it into a shimmering ball that floated to Dalin and rested in the palm of his hand.

"Dark Draining Barrier has a useful effect. It can negate one attack, and then increases my life points by half of the attack points of your monster. The math is simple enough. I gain one thousand fifty life points." The web uncurled from the flame and was absorbed into Dalin's disk, leaving a now black fireball in Dalin's hand. (DLP: 4050)

"Now, about the other half of that attack power. Well you see, that half is inflicted to your life points. Feel the flames!" Dalin wound up and pitched it overhand like a professional pitcher. The fireball swept through the noon air and hit Daniel in the stomach, doubling him over in pain. (DLLP: 1650)

He pulled himself back together in time to see Flame Wingman fade away, leaving his field entirely empty. "Don't tell me...Dark Draining Barrier also destroys the attacking monster." Dalin's smirk was enough of an answer for him.

"I'll play two cards face down. That's all I can do for the moment." His two cards appeared in front of him, emptying his hand completely. Now he had to hope that Dalin had no further way of getting to his life points.

'_I think I underestimated this guy. I knew he wouldn't be a dueling slouch, but he's an expert. His power just might be too much for my Elemental Heroes to handle.'_ He scowled, realizing that he was definitely in trouble. He didn't know what Dalin might want of him if he lost, but he didn't want to have to find out.

The dark angel duelist added yet another card to his hand, and then took another one and slid it into his duel disk. "My next magic card is called Special Return. It allows me to select one monster on my field and return it to my hand. Since Banafor is my only monster, I'll return it."

Banafor formed into a ball of light and disappeared as Dalin picked it up off his disk and placed it amongst his other cards. "The next part of Special Return allows me to draw a card, so now my hand will have five cards in it, counting Banafor."

He slid an extra card off his deck, and then took one of his five cards and moved to place it on the disk. "The final effect of Special Return lets me special summon one monster from my hand with an equal or lesser level to that of the returned monster. All that's in my hand is Banafor, so I'll just summon him again."

For the second time in the duel the Dark Angel Banafor descended, his fiery eyes staring down at his target. Daniel was the target, and he also knew what was about to happen. "As you should know from earlier, when Banafor is summoned my opponent takes five hundred points of damage."

This ball of flame caught him in the side, and he felt it singe his skin. In fact, it felt like it was starting to get more realistic. Maybe it was his imagination, but he didn't like what his imagination was telling him. _'I don't like how this is starting to feel. Something about this whole situation feels wrong.'_ (DLLP: 1150)

"Dark Angel Banafor has served me well, and he shall serve me even better once I increase his strength. So I equip Dark Angel Banafor with Wings of Inferno, increasing his attack power by five hundred points." The black wings on Banafor's back burst into flames, and the dark angel laughed as power surged through him from those burning wings.

"Five hundred attack points is hardly important. One of your traps is most certainly intended to stop my coming attack. Therefore I used Wings of Inferno to make my attack meaningful regardless of what you attempt." He smirked, and his smirk was copied by his monster.

"You see, when a monster equipped with Wings of Inferno attacks, I automatically inflict five hundred life points of damage to you. Even if the attack is negated or my monster destroyed the damage is still dealt." Daniel's knuckles began to go white from how hard he was clenching his fists. This was not a good thing, definitely not a good thing.

"Bring on your attack, I'm prepared." He was, to a degree. But right now he had no way to stop the effect of Wings of Inferno, and that didn't bode well for his chances in this duel as things stood now.

"So be it. Dark Angel Banafor, attack with Rain of Fire!" The dark angel flew up above the field, and flapped his wings. Flame fell from his wings, raining down upon Daniel's field. He quickly depressed a button on his disk, activating a set card. But it wouldn't stop the damage. (DLLP: 650)

"My Negate Attack trap card not only stops your attack, but it ends your battle phase immediately. Since you didn't have any other monsters anyways that doesn't really matter." The dark angel duelist didn't respond with words, he simply slid a card onto his disk. It formed behind his fallen angel, lying in wait of Daniel's next move.

'_E-Heroes just aren't going to cut it against this guy. I'm going to have to turn up the heat if I want to win._ _I just have to trust my soul deck, and unleash all of my power right now!'_ He drew his card, and he felt his deck pulse in response. By the look in Dalin's eye, he too had felt the pulse.

"My deck has rewarded me, and now this is a whole new game. I activate Card of Sanctity, allowing us to draw until we have six cards in our hands!" Daniel proceeded to draw six cards, while Dalin drew four. Now with a new hand of cards, this really was a new game.

"Show me your strength Pilkington. That's something I'd truly like to see."

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_Next Chapter: A Forced Darkness Game_

Author's Notes: This honestly ended up having less to do with Kodwari, Taichi's son, than it did with the alternate universe Dalin. But oh well.

G.O.T. Nick: This is a form of update...I think.

Time Mage: Keep in mind it is currently March the 14th, and he'd have to wait till the day after to make such a comment.

WolfGeneral: If you have revived from death by chocolate, then you can read this chapter and read this right here.

**Original Cards**

_Kodowari: Game Blueprints, Game Console, Game Cartridge, Game Chip, Cheat Code-Power Boost_

_Daniel: Underdog's Rage_

_Alternate Dalin: Dark Angel Banafor, Negative Morality, Dark Draining Barrier, Special Return, Wings of Inferno_


	7. A Forced Darkness Game

Author's Notes: Rage on folks, rage on. Or something like that.

_**Chapter Six: A Forced Darkness Game**_

"_Here is the final blow, courtesy of your insult on my father! Game Cartridge, finish him off!" One final beam of electricity hit the Obelisk Blue duelist, and the duel was over. The other students stood in shock, unable to comprehend how a lowly Osiris Red kid was able to beat a member of Obelisk Blue. (BLP: 0)_

"_Lucky hand, that's all it was. You just go lucky." The other Obelisk Blue students murmured their agreements, but they were stopped when someone snorted in disgust._

"_Losers like you ruin the name of duelists everywhere. Kodowari won fair and square, and I know why. His skill runs in the family. His father was a powerful duelist who I happen to have met, and no loser like you could beat his son." The Obelisk Blue and Ra Yellow students stood in awe as the shorter red uniformed Kirani now seemed to tower over them in her rage._

"_What do you know? You're just another drop-out student from Osiris Red!" Regaining their confidence the group started to snicker. Knowing Kirani as well as he did, Drake knew that this little bit of laughter was the stupidest thing they could possibly have done._

"_Is that so? Well then, if you'd like to prove your strength, why don't some of you duel me. The strongest three duelists amongst you versus this lowly little Osiris Red drop-out student. Or don't you think you can handle a cute little girl like me?" The dangerous smirk also told Drake all that he needed to know._

"_Those guys are totally screwed." Kai and Dalin just nodded in agreement, each of them well aware of her skill. Rikuo on the other hand didn't know what to expect, but he was happy that he was going to see an interesting duel. Three on one was bound to be fun to watch._

The Obelisk Blue boys huddled together, and quickly came to a decision. They parted and three of them stepped forwards. The first one had black hair, brown skin, and a lean build to him. "I'm Ramesh, and it will be my honor to teach you a lesson about speaking up against your betters." (RLP: 4000)

Next in the line-up was a taller boy with a pleasant face and absolutely no hair. "Although I would not normally duel a woman, I think that you need to be put in your place. No student at this school can defeat three duelists at once who are on their level, let alone those above their level. So I, Mataro Sarayama, shall defeat you." (MLP: 4000)

Third and final of Kirani's opponents was a large duelist with dyed green hair. He activated his disk and stepped into place. "I'm not in this duel to teach you a lesson. I'm in it because you look like my favorite duelist in the professional circuit, only you're our age. So, if we win, how about you go on a date with the great Watsuki Ayoma?" (WLP: 4000)

Kirani rolled her eyes and clicked her own disk into place. Then she put the deck in and the holographic matrix activated. "Not a chance Watsuki. I hope you all know the rules, because it's time to get started. Ramesh can go first." (KLP: 4000)

Ramesh slipped six cards off his deck, and then scanned his hand. His dark beady eyes settled on a card, and he plucked it out from amongst the rest. "This duel begins with the introduction to my strategy. I reveal Suicide Car Bomber(1000/1000) in attack mode!"

A Middle-Eastern man dressed in casual clothing sat inside a beat-up old car, looking around for something. "Suicide Car Bomber is just the first method of victory that is hidden with my Terrorism Deck. You stand no chance against it. End."

Kirani narrowed her eyes, unsure why he had simply left his monster in attack mode like that. It didn't make any sense to her, especially considering how weak it was. _'I'll have to watch out for that one. He's up to something.'_

Mataro was next, drawing his sixth card. He calmly selected his cards, and began his turn. "I start by bringing out a key monster to my deck. Summon Monk(800/1300) in attack mode." A peaceful looking monk appeared, a bright aura surrounding him.

"During my standby phase each turn Summon Monk lets me special summon a level four or less monster from my deck to the field. His power will let me swarm the field and crush you under foot." He then slid a card into his disk, and finished his turn.

At last it was Watsuki's turn, and he confidently slapped down his first card. "I summon Revival Slime(1500/500) in attack mode!" A creature made of blue plasma was summoned in front of him, and its effect would make it virtually impossible to defeat.

"I set one card face down, and then I activate Slime Generator. Each turn it will produce a Slime Token for me to use. Till then, I guess I end my turn. Feel free to reconsider that date proposal any time." Kirani just groaned, and slipped her own cards off her deck.

"I'll start off by playing Graceful Charity to draw three cards. Then I have to discard two." An angel formed above her, and light rained down on her disk. She casually picked up three cards, and then discarded two others from her hand.

She slammed a card from her hand on the disk, and a tall and muscular warrior appeared. He was wearing dark armor that had blood stains, and his eyes were filled with rage. "You want power? Here's my power for you. Berserker Gilford(3000/0) in attack mode!"

Ramesh smiled slightly as he saw Berserker Gilford. _'Perfect. All she has to do is attack my defenseless Suicide Car Bomber and I'll be able to use its effect. When that beast kills my bomber it will take the beast with it and deal its attack in damage to her.'_

Kirani's gaze fell on the car bomber and she pointed her finger at it. "Berserker, go ahead and cut that monster into shreds!" Berserker Gilford raised his sword and attacked, cutting through the entire car in one clean stroke. (RLP: 2000)

"Fool! You have activated the effect of Suicide Car Bomber! When he's destroyed in battle the monster that destroyed it is destroyed as well, and the controller loses its attack in damage!" The car began to shake, and smoke poured out from the hood. It was about to explode, and when it did it would take out most of Kirani's life points.

"You made a mistake in assuming I wasn't prepared. Berserker's effect is negative, so I was prepared to deal with it. Your monster's effect requires that my monster be destroyed by it for the damage to go off, but I have something else in mind." She smirked and flipped a card from her hand around.

The sky above Kirani's field began to split open, and light shined down upon Berserker Gilford. "I activate my quick-play card, To Part The Sky! By sacrificing one monster on my field I can special summon another from the grave!"

Berserker Gilford formed into light, and then shot straight into the sky. Then another creature descended from above, revealing itself as the armored Gilford the Lightning. "Here is the key monster to my own deck, Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400). I discarded him when I play Graceful Charity."

Ramesh grimaced as he realized that his own strategy had just been compromised, and he had lost half of his life points for nothing. "You're a lot better than I would have guessed girl. But it won't save you against our power."

"Don't be stupid, you guys aren't as strong as you think. For example, the secondary effect of To Part The Sky lets me select one monster on the opponent's field. That monster is then removed from the game!" Watsuki's eyes went wide as the hole in the sky turned the light upon Revival Slime, and it was pulled inwards, vanishing into the sky.

Ramesh suddenly realized what Kirani had known all along. He also realized that unless he was protected, he was about to lose. "No...it's still your battle phase!"

Kirani smirked and pointed right at him, turning Gilford's attention on him. "That's right, because my magic card was a quick-play! So now, Gilford will attack you directly. Thunderbolt Cut!"

The mighty warrior swung his blade in an arc, and lightning streaked towards the undefended duelist. At least partially undefended. Suddenly Summon Monk jumped in the way, and was blasted apart by the power of Gilford the Lightning. "So you decided to defend your partner Mataro? Good for you." (MLP: 2000)

"It cost me half my life points, so I expect him to return the favor. Reveal face down card, Call of the Haunted! This will resurrect my Summon Monk(800/1300) in attack mode!" The monk reappeared, and now it was once again the only monster on the field.

"That's fine with me. I set one card face down on my field, completing my turn. Let's see exactly what you two are capable of now that you know just how powerful I really am." With Gilford dominating the field, it looked like she had the game in the bag.

Rikuo whistled in awe, folding his arms across his chest he sat back to watch the duel continue. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting her to be that strong a duelist. Looks like she's quite the duelist."

Drake grinned, he always loved to see Kirani duel. "Yeah, the first time we dueled I barely managed to beat her. The second time we dueled she was using this deck, and I managed a scant win by six hundred life points. She's tough, that's for sure."

Kai nodded in agreement. It was always enjoyable for him to watch a powerful duelist at work. "I've seen her duel before, and I'd have to agree. She's quite impressive when she gets going, and she's faced down some of the strongest duelists out there unflinchingly."

"I've only seen Kirani duel twice, and only once with her Gilford Deck. However, I must agree that she is powerful. In this situation, these three duelists cannot defeat her." With this said, Dalin returned to his contemplative silence.

The Osiris Red kids just watched her in awe, even more so after hearing the praise of these strangers. Two of them were in Obelisk Blue, and if what they were saying was true, then she was a force to be reckoned with indeed.

Kodowari narrowed his eyes, trying to think of why this girl seemed familiar. It was like had seen a picture of her somewhere before, but the question was where. _'There's also something familiar about her dueling style. Where do I know of her from?'_

"Yes, Kirani Kajika is indeed an impressive duelist. But the question is, can she overcome this triple threat when the circumstances are more dire?" Everyone spun around, looking for the source of these words. Yet nobody could tell who had spoken.

"Kirani...will you willingly defeat your opponents, when the price is their very souls?" Suddenly everything went dark, or rather, darkness appeared. Kirani looked around at her new surroundings, and recognized the Darkness Realm. The only ones within the Darkness Game were her and her three opponents.

"What's going on?" A deep laugh sounded through the darkness, and the nature of that laugh sent a chill through Kirani's body. She had heard that laugh in many forms before, but no matter what she would always recognize it. The Dark Spirit.

"You've entered a Darkness Game of my creation, and as you know that's never a good thing. These opponents of yours aren't skilled enough to defeat you, and they wouldn't have the strength to continue on in the Darkness Realm. Therefore I'll make a little change." As Kirani watched the lights in the three duelists eyes went out, and they went limp for a moment. Then their eyes were clouded over by a pitch black substance.

"Now I've replaced their minds with spirits from within the Darkness Realm. Spirits who had been sealed here in the past, ones who can withstand this realm. I believe that will make this duel more interesting." She scowled, and felt a presence lift off her shoulders. However the spirit had been speaking through the Darkness Game, it was gone now. All that was left was herself and three Obelisk Blue boys.

Ramesh, his eyes completely darkened, drew a new card, ready to continue the duel. "I activate Jihad, a continuos magic card which increases the attack of all terrorist monsters by 300 while it exists on the field."

"Next up, I summon Terrorist Soldier(1400/800)! I combo him with Terrorist Cell, which lets me special summon each of the others from my deck. So now I have three Terrorist Soldiers, with an enhanced seventeen hundred attack points!" Three brown skinned men appeared in front of him, clutching rifles in their hands.

"I'll continue by activating the continuous magic card Ectoplasmer. It allows each duelist to sacrifice one monster on their field at the end of each of their turns to deal half of that monster's attack in damage to the opponent." His permanent card shimmered into view in front of him, and Kirani realized just how bad that was going to be for her.

"Finally I'll end my turn, sacrificing a Terrorist Soldier to deal eight hundred and fifty points of damage to you!" One of the three soldiers vanished, and a ball of white light shot across the field to collide with Kirani. She grimaced at the pain, but didn't show any other signs of the damage it had caused. (KLP: 3150)

Now it was up to Mataro to continue the trend. It looked likely that he would be able to do so. "I begin my turn, and use Summon Monk to special summon Monk Fighter(1300/1000) from my deck to the field!"

Mataro's black lifeless eyes seemed to spark with flames as he took a card from his hand and slapped it down on the field. "Next I normal summon Mine Golem(1000/1900) in defense mode." Another creature appeared on the field, only this one was a deadly mechanical looking one.

"I'll set two cards face down. Then I end my turn, and sacrifice Monk Fighter to deal six hundred and fifty damage to you!" The monk vanished in a blaze of light, and the energy blasted Kirani backwards, cutting her life points down by another decent chunk. (KLP: 2500)

The possessed Watsuki started his own turn, and the giant generator spat out a little blue blob. "This is my first Slime Token(500/500) which has come out in attack mode. Feel free to be afraid, because I set one card face down and summon another Revival Slime(1500/500) in defense mode."

"I can't deal much damage, but I will sacrifice my Slime Token to deal a meager two hundred and fifty points of damage to you." As the blast of soul energy hit her, Kirani realized just what was happening. Ramesh had always intended to play Ectoplasmer, and the other two had set up their cards for that purpose. (KLP: 2250)

With their turns over, it was Kirani's chance to get back at them. She didn't have any monsters in her hand at the moment, so if she failed to draw one then she'd be out of luck and would have to sacrifice her own Gilford the Lightning to Ectoplasmer. "My draw!"

"Here we go...I activate Monster Reborn, and call back Berserker Gilford!" The mighty behemoth rose onto the field, ready to once again cut down any opponent in the way. Its strength would help her out in this turn.

Berserker Gilford attacks a Terrorist Soldier while Gilford the Lightning will attack Summon Monk!" The two monsters began their attacks, only to have the blue creature of plasma throw itself into the path of the monsters and blow up, then reform and blow up again.

Watsuki's possessed form smirked, and motioned to two face up cards on its field. The cards that had previously been face down. "My first trap is Slime Defender, which lets my Revival Slime be the target of your monsters attacks as long as it is active. Then my other trap is Curse of Revival. Whenever I special summon a monster from the grave I deal you three hundred damage." (KLP: 1850)

Realizing that her attacks had failed, Kirani had no choice to be complete her turn. There were only a few things left that she could do. "I set one card face down, then end my turn and sacrifice Berserker Gilford. That damage goes straight at Ramesh!"

Her opponent was slammed into the ground by the powerful ball of soul energy, his life points nearly completely depleted. Unfortunately it wasn't going to be enough to finish him off for good. More the pity. (RLP: 500)

Ramesh added another card to his hand, his black eyes seeming to glare at her even though he no longer had pupils. Ramesh looked over his hand of three, and then slid one of them onto his disk. It appeared face down next to his Ectoplasmer card, and that seemed all he was prepared to do. "I end, and sacrifice a Terrorist Soldier(1700/800) for my Ectoplasmer!"

Kirani braced herself for the strike, but still wasn't ready for it. The ghost energy hit her in the chest and launched her backwards, burning away the front of her red uniform, revealing the black undershirt that she wore beneath it. She grimaced, clutching a hand to her chest in pain. (KLP: 1000)

Mataro picked up a new card off his deck, and then motioned to his Summon Monk. "According to my creature's effect I will now summon Rock Behemoth(2000/100) in attack mode!" A massive creature rose up, ten feet in height, its entire body formed from fallen stones. Even though it had no eyes, Kirani could tell it was watching her. The Darkness made it realer than she would like.

"All I have to do is sacrifice Rock Behemoth and you'll be finished. But I'm not as arrogant as that boy would have been. I don't trust your face down cards, so I activate Rock Slide! This will allow me to take up to five rock sub-types and place them into my cemetery." One of Mataro's set cards activated, and five cards ejected from his deck.

"This five will prove sufficient for the task at hand. I send each of them to the cemetery to be used at a later date." He slid the five cards into his cemetery slot, and then motioned to his remaining face down card. It flipped up, ready to use its power.

"This is my second Rock Slide trap card. Now allow me to take another five rocks from my deck and place them into the cemetery." Another set of five cards ejected from his deck and he shoved them into his graveyard. Kirani counted it up, and realized that he had probably just gone through almost all of his monsters. He'd just blown through fourteen monsters in a few turns.

"I won't continue this play until I know you haven't died. So now I end my turn, and sacrifice Rock Behemoth to destroy your life points!" The brute faded, and this time Kirani was truly ready for the attack to make its way towards her.

She smirked and depressed a button on the main part of her duel disk. Then one of her two set cards was activated. "You activated Lightning Reflective Surface! This allows me to spread the effect evenly amongst all players. So each of us now takes one fourth of one thousand damage."

The ectoplasmic energy suddenly shattered, and shot in four different directions. A piece of it hit each duelist, but because of how weak the energy was it barely hurt them at all. It did however put each of her opponent's closer to defeat. (KLP: 750, RLP: 250, MLP: 1750, WLP: 3750)

Watsuki smirked as the light faded, and he snapped a card off his deck. "Now it's all going to be over. Your card wasn't permanent, so my turn is the turn you die. First off, my Slime Generator produces a Slime Token(500/500) for me to use." The little blob appeared in front of him, and he was ready to go.

"Slime Generator may assist me by summoning a token each turn, but I can't summon outside of that as long as its active. So I set one card face down, and then I play Emergency Provisions from my hand, sacrificing my new set card and the generator to increase my life points!" The two cards shattered, and he was left with only one card left in his hand but the perfect defense. (WLP: 5750)

"I sacrifice Slime Token for Death Slime(2400/1500)! Death Slime can return to my field once each turn provided I pay five hundred life points for it to do so. Since I have no other cards to play, I'll finish you off by ending and sacrificing Death Slime!" The massive ball of black ooze formed into ectoplasma, and was launched straight at Kirani.

Once again Kirani activated a card, this time it was her final set card. "I chain with Thunder Reflective Surface! This will distribute the effect evenly between us a positive effect. Meaning 1200 is split four ways, and then our life points are increased by that amount."

A glow of light settled on each duelist, and their life points took a turn for the better. Only one person wasn't anywhere near death at this point, and that was Watsuki. Thanks to his defense combo and his use of Emergency Provisions he had a distinct lead. (KLP: 1050, RLP: 550, MLP: 2050, WLP: 6050)

Silently Kirani drew her next card. She was confident in her abilities, and she knew exactly what card she had in her deck that could turn this awkward situation into an advantageous one. All she had to do was draw it. "Let's turn things around shall we?"

Without taking the time to look at the card she inserted into her disk, and it appeared in front of her in holographic form. "I activate Lion's Share! Only seven copies of this card exist, and I've got one of them. Here's why it's so rare!"

Energy funneled from each of their duel disks and met in the air between them. It formed into a glowing counter, and the numbers began to roll up. "Lion's Share adds together each duelist's life points. If you do the math, that's ninety-seven hundred."

Just as she had said, those green numbers appeared above her. Then suddenly the energy began to flow back into their duel disks, only the flow of energy going towards Kirani was much bigger than it was for any of the others. "The Lion's Share is always the greater portion of something. In this case, it means life points. So my life points become two thirds of the total!" (KLP: 6467)

"I hope you boys are good at sharing, because the remaining third is about to be divided amongst the three of you. So that means each of you gets one-ninth of our total life points." The three possessed Obelisk Blue duelists scowled, realizing that they had just been cheated out of a large number of life points. (RLP: 1078, MLP: 1078, WLP: 1078)

"If I attacked I'd just fall prey to Watsuki's defense burn combo. So I set the last cards in my hand, and my turn is complete. Unfortunately I must now I sacrifice Gilford the Lightning. Unfortunately for me, and for you three. Let's get rid of Watsuki's pesky combo shall we?" Watsuki's eyes went wide, and the ball of ectoplasma hit him in the face, dropping him like a stone. (WLP: 0)

Ramesh, who appeared to furious at how the duel had been turned against them, snatched the next card off his deck like he was trying to rip it away. "I summon Fundamentalist Extremist(1300/1300) in attack mode!"

This monster looked quite similar to Terrorist Soldier, only instead of a rifle this one had explosives strapped to its body. "I have my two monsters attack you directly!" The two monsters launched themselves at Kirani, but she was ready for them.

"I activate Starbust Pattern, destroying Terrorist Soldier and allowing me to special summon a monster with an equal or lower level from my deck to the field. So I special summon Gilford of Thunder(1800/400)." Her monster was summoned, and according to its effect she drew a card from the top of her deck and one from the bottom.

Unable to get past this monster, Ramesh had no choice but to end his turn. However, when he did so his Fundamentalist Extremist turned into energy and collided with Kirani. "Now the effect of Fundamentalist Extremist activates, and you lose one thousand life points since it went to the cemetery!" (KLP: 4817)

Mataro drew his next card, and then once again motioned to his Summon Monk. "I'll use my monster's effect to summon a Boulder Wyrm(1500/1400). I then immediately sacrifice Boulder Wyrm to use its effect and discard two cards off the top of your deck!" The little boulder monster shattered into pebbles, and they sprayed over Kirani.

"Now is the moment I have been waiting for! There are now thirteen rock sub-type monsters in my graveyard. Perfect for my ultimate monster. It cannot be normal summoned, I must remove a number of rock sub-types from my grave to special summon it. Come out, Megarock Dragon(?)!" He ejected thirteen cards from his grave and shoved them into his pocket.

An enormous creature formed on the field, constructed of stone and other similar elements. It appeared scary, but it's attack and defense points were unusual. "Now allow me to show you what makes Megarock Dragon so deadly. It's attack and defense points are equal to the number of monsters removed by its effect times seven hundred!"

Kirani grimaced as she did the math, realizing that his behemoth now outranked any monster she had in her deck. She had faced stronger creatures, but it was always a bad thing. "Megarock Dragon(9100/9100), crush her Gilford of Thunder!'

"I chain with Squall Barrier, negating your attack and allowing me to add a card with 'Gilford' in it's name from my deck to my hand." A swirl of water blocked the attack, and a card ejected from Kirani's deck. She placed it in her hand, and then waited for Mataro to finish his turn.

"So be it girl, my turn ends after placing one card face down. Then I sacrifice Mine Golem for Ectoplasmer's effect." Kirani winced as yet another attack struck her, draining her of even more life points. The damage might not have been extreme this time, but the pain inflicted by the Darkness Realm was beginning to add up. (KLP: 4317)

"Let's see what my power has in store for you. Draw!" She snapped a card off her deck, giving her a total of four cards. Now was the moment when she would either lose, or win. There was no middle ground.

"I'm going to have to win this duel, and to do so I have to defeat my opponent's ultimate creature. Megarock Dragon is my target!" She slammed a card from her hand down on the disk, and a monster identical to the one she had on the field appeared.

"Another Gilford of Thunder allows me to draw one card from the top of my deck and one from the bottom!" She slipped the new cards into her hand, pumping her hand size up to five and her options up even further.

"I continue by activating Lightning Summon, and special summoning the third and final Gilford of Thunder!" Now three identical monsters stood shoulder to shoulder, and with their abilities she replenished her hand of lost cards.

"Next up I activate Receding Storm, which forces me to pick up all monsters named Gilford on my field and send them to the cemetery. In exchange I can destroy one card on the opponent's field for each of my Gilfords." The three Gilfords vanished, and bolts of lightning rained down from the sky, blasting Summon Monk, Megarock Dragon, and Mataro's set card.

"Once more I'll play a magic card. This time it's called Storm Front Renewal! This quick-play will revive all Gilfords that went to the grave this turn in defense mode. None of them can attack." Her opponent's eyes went wide as the three Gilfords reappeared, allowing her to draw a total of six cards, shooting her hand up to nine cards.

Ramesh and Mataro each took a step back, horrified at the power that she was displaying. Ramesh finally managed to speak through his shock and awe. "How is it possible? This boy's mind points you out as an amateur, a weakling. How could you have this much power?"

Kirani closed her eyes and picked out a few cards from her hand. "Because, I'm not who I appear to be. Because I am Kirani Kajika. Because this is my true power! And because I hate people like you!"

Five cards appeared in successions, filling up her field. "Prepare to meet your end! I activate two of my Enter the Storm magic cards, paying two thousand life points to special summon two Gilford the Lightnings!" (KLP: 2317)

Now her field was filled up with monsters, but none of them could attack this turn. "Next I play Return of the Lightning, which requires me to discard one card from my hand to add Gilford the Lightning from my grave to the cemetery."

"I follow that up with another Lightning Summon, which lets me summon again this turn. So I sacrifice all three Gilford of Thunders for the third and final Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400)!" Now the three mighty warriors stood side by side, their great power ready to be unleashed upon her opponents.

"Here is the final card of my combo! Tri-Thunder Blaze!" The three warriors unsheathed their blades, and raised them up. The points of the blades touched above their heads, and electricity began to crackle at the meeting place of the sword tips.

"Tri-Thunder Blaze can only be played when I have all three Gilford the Lightnings in play. It then allows me to deal the opponent four thousands points of damage at a cost of their attack this turn. Its time to share again. I'll distribute that damage amongst both of you." Mataro and Ramesh dropped to their knees as the three lightning wielders leveled their swords at them.

"It's over. Tri-Thunder Blaze!" A stream of white lightning erupted from the ends of those three swords, and it splashed over the two duelist's fields. She could hear them scream as it swept through them, burning away the spirits that possessed them. (RLP: 0, MLP: 0)

"I hate Darkness Games." The shadows faded from around them, as did her monsters. Everyone who had been waiting on the outside was shocked to see the three Obelisk Blue boys passed out on the ground, and the girl that appeared to be from Osiris Red still standing.

Kirani limped away from the field, and settled her gaze on the dark haired Kodowari. He was the only one in the entire group who didn't appear shocked. He had a calm and knowing look on his face, one that was slightly amused. She had seen that look many times on Taichi Nobuki's face, and it was bound to mean trouble from his son, even in a different dimension.

She blinked as she felt her weight suddenly supported, and realized that Drake had just wrapped an arm around her, lending her support. "Sometimes its nice not to have to be tough, right?"

The two shared a brief smile, and then turned their attention back to Kodowari. The group pulled him away from the rest of his friends, far enough away so that nobody could overhear. They circled around him like vultures watching a future meal about to die. Then they struck. "We need to talk."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Next Chapter: Flight of the Dark Angels_

Author's Notes: Yep, she crushinated them. Now, its time to get back to Alternate Dalin versus Daniel.

_Review Responses_

G.O.T. Nick: I'm confused and I'm writing it.

Time Mage: Kodowari's deck is a lot of fun for me. This other Dalin is the Dalin that exists in Rikuo's dimension. Daniel's Soul Deck exists provided he has a soul. Since he does, it's all good.

WolfGeneral: MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! Hack Wheeze

**Original Cards**

_Ramesh: Suicide Car Bomber, Terrorist Soldier, Terrorist Cell, Ji'had, Fundamentalist Extremist_

_Mataro: Rock Slide, Rock Behemoth, Boulder Wyrm_

_Watsuki: Curse of Revival, Death Slime_

_Kirani: Berserker Gilford, To Part The Sky, Lightning Reflective Surface, Thunder Reflective Surface, Starburst Pattern, Gilford of Thunder, Squall Barrier, Lightning Summon, Receding Storm, Storm Front Renewal, Enter the Storm, Return of the Lightning, Tri-Thunder Blaze_

_Note: Monk Fighter, Mine Golem, and Megarock Dragon are all new cards from The Lost Millennium expansion set in Japan. Summon Monk is a key monster played by the villain of Yu-gi-oh R. _


	8. Flight of the Dark Angels

Author's Notes: Evilish Dalin Goodness Ahead!

_**Chapter Seven: Flight of the Dark Angels**_

"_Bring on your attack, I'm prepared." He was, to a degree. But right now he had no way to stop the effect of Wings of Inferno, and that didn't bode well for his chances in this duel as things stood now._

"_So be it. Dark Angel Banafor, attack with Rain of Fire!" The dark angel flew up above the field, and flapped his wings. Flame fell from his wings, raining down upon Daniel's field. He quickly depressed a button on his disk, activating a set card. But it wouldn't stop the damage. (DLLP: 650)_

"_My Negate Attack trap card not only stops your attack, but it ends your battle phase immediately. Since you didn't have any other monsters anyways that doesn't really matter." The dark angel duelist didn't respond with words, he simply slid a card onto his disk. It formed behind his fallen angel, lying in wait of Daniel's next move._

'_E-Heroes just aren't going to cut it against this guy. I'm going to have to turn up the heat if I want to win. I just have to trust my soul deck, and unleash all of my power right now!' He drew his card, and he felt his deck pulse in response. By the look in Dalin's eye, he too had felt the pulse._

"_My deck has rewarded me, and now this is a whole new game. I activate Card of Sanctity, allowing us to draw until we have six cards in our hands!" Daniel proceeded to draw six cards, while Dalin drew four. Now with a new hand of cards, this really was a new game._

"_Show me your strength Pilkington. That's something I'd truly like to see."_

Daniel took a look at his new hand, and immediately saw his plan of action. "If we're going to make this a new game, that makes clearing away the old and bringing in the new. So go, Heavy Storm!"

Dalin barely seemed bothered as a huge gust of wind blew away all of his magic and trap cards, reducing Banafor to its original attack strength. Then again, not a lot seemed to bother Dalin from what Daniel had seemed. _'He's about as emotionless as Yamidra. How can he have such an ice cold personality and be such a strong duelist?'_

"Is that all you are going to do Pilkington, or did you have something else in mind?" Daniel grinned confidently and slapped a card from his hand onto his disk. A hologram of a gear formed creature now stood on his field, looking old and rusty.

"This is Clockwork Alarm(2000/0) and he's about to put out Banafor's lights. Go Clockwork Alarm, attack Banafor!" The scrap creature suddenly went into action, pounding a sort of pendulum fist into Banafor's chest. The angel grimaced and doubled over before shattering into nothingness. (DLP: 3750)

"Your new creature has an impressive attack strength, but now he switches into defense mode I believe." Daniel didn't know how to react to that, as it was rare for anyone to have knowledge of his Clockwork monsters since they were part of his very soul and one of a kind. But Dalin was right, and his Clockwork Alarm did move into defense mode.

"You may know what my monster does, but I'm not worried yet. I set two cards face down, and that ends my turn." Now he had the advantage, but since Dalin had a good number of cards to work with there was no telling what exactly would happen.

The cold hearted duelist narrowed his green eyes and at his new card, and then slid it into his disk. "I activate Pitch-Black Inferno Bonds, which will lock down all set magic and trap cards on your field."

Daniel grimaced as fiery black ropes wrapped themselves around his two set cards, preventing him from accessing them. _'Without my set cards my Alarm is defenseless. Luckily he's in defense mode, so my life points are safe.'_

"I summon Dark Angel Tsar(1600/1300) to the field in order to combat your Clockwork Alarm." Another handsome angel appeared before Dalin, also with black wings. The only difference was that this one had characters in Latin on his robes that Daniel couldn't read.

"Now I activate another effect of my Wings of Inferno. When I have only one Dark Angel on my field and they are in the cemetery I may automatically equip them to my newest monster. So Dark Angel Tsar gains the power of the inferno." Tsar stretched out his wings, which were quickly wreathed in flames, granting him the deadly effect of that special equip card.

"Dark Angel Tsar attacks with Rain of Fire!" The fallen angel flapped his wings, and burning embers pierced through Clockwork Alarm, turning it into nothing but a molten slag heap. And the same could be said of Daniel's life points. (DLP: 150)

"Now I set a single card face down. The turn is yours Pilkington. Use it well." The crowd that had gathered around them seemed to be in awe of the raw power that was being displayed in the duel. None of them had ever heard of Dalin, but a few were dueling fans, and knew who Daniel was. Which was why they were shocked.

'_This guy is on a totally different level than I could ever have guessed. Now I see how he's so strong. His cards work so well together, and he never for a moment loses focus. He's got the mind of a dueling machine, but he's got creative thinking. Which makes this all the tougher.'_ Despite the situation Daniel drew his card calmly.

"All I can do is set this card face down. Back to your Dalin." The spectators had no idea why Daniel was so confident when two of his three set cards were useless, and all he had to work with was a single face down card. All Dalin had to do was declare an attack and he would win the duel.

Dalin drew, but before he had a chance to say anything Daniel was already activating his face down card. "I reveal Freeze Frame! This trap lets me select one phase, and during this turn you don't have that phase. So I declare battle phase!"

Dark Angel Tsar froze in mid wing beat, giving it a rather surreal look. Dalin didn't look bothered by this, and Daniel could have sworn he saw a smile peak out at the corner of Dalin's lips. _'So he definitely enjoys a challenge, he just doesn't show it as much as some people. Good to know he's not just a guy who duels for money.'_

"That was an impressive draw. But I assure you that you cannot top deck your way to victory in a duel against me. I set a monster face down, and return control of the duel to you." A horizontal card appeared beside Tsar, and then Daniel was once again drawing.

Daniel took one look at his new card, and then at his other two. Now he knew exactly what he could do. "I start my turn off by summoning Clockwork Gnome(0/1000) in attack mode. Its effect summons the other two to my field!"

Three clockwork figurines now stood in front of Daniel, and none of them looked all that impressive. But as every good duelist knows, looks can be deceiving. "I continue by activating Clockwork Gear Shield, a quick-play magic card that prevents me from losing life points when my Clockwork monsters are destroyed during this turn."

A giant gear slammed down in front of Daniel, sitting there in order to prevent him from coming to harm. Dalin smiled slightly once again, and Daniel got the feeling that the other duelist knew what was coming. "I have my three Clockwork Gnomes each attack Dark Angel Tsar!"

Before the three weak monsters made it very far a rain of fire splashed down upon them, melting them into scrap metal. "Your machines are finished. However, I do believe that when a Clockwork Gnome is destroyed you gain one thousand life points."

"It looks like you know a lot about my Clockwork monsters. But that doesn't mean you can beat them. Now how about I collect those life points?" Energy flowed into Daniel, and his fans in the crowd cheered at the restoration. Now he was truly back in the game. (DLLP: 3150)

"One card left in my hand. Guess it means that it's time I rely on a bit of faith. So I activate Mirage of Nightmare and end my turn." Dalin raised an eyebrow, surprised that Daniel was willing to risk himself on such a chancy card. Then again, it wasn't as if the other duelist had much of a choice.

"I begin my turn by flipping my face down monster, Fallen Priest(200/500). This creature's effect automatically revives one dark angel from my cemetery. Therefor I revive Dark Angel Banafor(1700/1200)." The familiar fallen angel rose up from a pillar of flame that issued forth from the ground, and he appeared holding a ball of black flame.

"Now according to Banafor's effect I deal you five hundred points of damage. Burning Orb Strike!" Dalin's monster hurled his ball of flame at Daniel, striking the half-demon in the chest. He grimaced as his breath left him, and his life points dipped somewhat. (DLLP: 2650)

"Nice to know that your monster still packs a punch. But I'm not going down just because you dealt a little bit of added damage to me. Also, thanks to Mirage of Nightmare I get to draw four cards." He picked up four cards off his deck, and then lifted them up so he could take a look at them.

"Mirage of Nightmare is meaningless at this point. I sacrifice Fallen Priest in order to bring out Dark Angel Viz(2400/1800)!" A beautiful woman with flowing blonde hair now stood where the fallen priest had. Like the other fallen angels this one also had black wings, and three black spheres floated around here like a perverse halo.

"You said at the start of this duel that you were willing to lay it all on the line in a duel. Well so am I, so bring on your attack!" Dalin nodded, and turned to face his three fallen angels, addressing them as one would a friend, or an equal.

"Tsar, Banafor, and Viz. You three have the necessary strength to grant me victory. So go forth and burn him to ashes! Direct attack!" The three dark angels took flight, ready to crush Daniel beneath their power. But he wasn't ready to lose yet.

"Hold it right there! I discard Clockwork Kuriboh(300/200) from my hand in order to immediately end your battle phase! This only works when I have no monsters on the field, and luckily enough I fit the bill." A golden colored Kuriboh danced out in front of the three other monsters, its giant gear-eyes spinning rapidly. Mesmerized the three creatures stopped, letting only flickers of flame drip down upon Daniel. (DLLP: 2150)

"That was an impressive move. However, since you just discarded a card from your hand you only hold three cards. When you draw you will hold four cards, and since you drew four from Mirage of Nightmare's effect you will lose your entire hand. You cannot win." Daniel didn't respond, instead he took the top card of his deck in his fingers, and closed his eyes.

'_Dalin is right. If I want to keep this duel going and achieve a win I'm going to have to draw the right card. So here I go!'_ He snapped the card up and then held it in front of his eyes. Slowly those eyes opened and a big grin split his face.

"Time to turn the tide back in my favor! Go, Emergency Provisions! Using its effect I'll sacrifice Mirage of Nightmare and the two face down cards you sealed away to gain a grand total of three thousand life points!" The three named cards shattered, and the only sound outside of the crowd's collective gasp was the sound of his life points trickling upwards. (DLLP: 5150)

"Impressive. Yet you are still at a disadvantage. Can your three cards help you recover from that?" Dalin folded his arms across his chest, casually awaiting Daniel's next play. He was curious as to how his opponent was going to continue the duel.

"Yes, they can. I remove Clockwork Alarm from the graveyard to special summon Clockwork Paladin(2100/2100)!" A tall humanoid figure appeared, with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, each of which was formed from gears. It struck an imposing figure at over nine feet in height, making it the largest monster in play.

"Now I equip him with Gear Javelin, granting him a boost of four hundred attack points!" Paladin's spear was suddenly replaced by a long and thin metal javelin. The machine monster stared passively across the field, holding the javelin against its shoulder.

"I see. Now your Clockwork Paladin is strong enough to defeat even my Dark Angel Viz, albeit barely. But do you really think my face down card is a bluff? You are willing to attempt an attack if you so choose. But know this. I don't bluff." Daniel narrowed his eyes at Dalin's comment, trying to decide exactly what to do.

"We'll see about that. Clockwork Paladin, attack Dark Angel Banafor!" The machine stretched back his arm, the gears in its body creaking for a moment. Then all of a sudden it snapped its arm out, sending the javelin hurling straight at the dark angel.

"As I said, I don't bluff. Activate magic card, Dark Wall of Air!" A swirling mass of pitch black wind whirled around Dalin, and the javelin rebounded straight at the Clockwork Paladin. With mechanical ease the creature grabbed it in mid-flight, and set it butt first against the ground.

"I know you said that, and I was pretty sure you were telling the truth. But I gambled that your face down card wouldn't hurt me, but rather just stop me. Looks like I was right, and now it isn't there to protect you anymore. One card face down, and that's all." Now he had a strong monster to fight with, and he could continue the duel and relax.

Dalin drew, and then took another card from his hand and slid it into his duel disk. "I regret doing this to my monsters, but the damage is needed. My next card is a magic card called Black Inferno Sun, which requires that I sacrifice all dark angels on my field."

The three monsters converted themselves into balls of dark flame, and started flying towards Dalin. Daniel's opponent raised both arms over his head, and the black flame gathered together. It continued growing until it was the a miniature black sun the size of a car. "Black Inferno Sun has the power to deal damage to you equal to half the combined attack of the sacrificed dark angels."

Daniel grimaced, and Dalin prepared himself to throw the massive ball of energy. _'That thing looks like Sestros' Abyssal Sun. And I'm guessing that the realism involved in this duel will make that attack deadly. It could do some serious damage to not just myself, but everything around the impact point.'_

"This is it. Black Inferno Sun!" The mighty duelist hurled the sphere of energy, and sent it flying at incredible speeds towards Daniel. The crowd stared in shock as it sped towards the champion duelist, who seemed rooted to the spot.

"It's not over yet Dalin. Activate set card, Time Jump! This card negates any card it is chained to, and speeds up the turn count of the duel by three. Looks like you wasted your three monsters for nothing." The attack flickered out of existence about five feet in front of Daniel, leaving just traces of the intense heat that it had created.

Dalin frowned slightly, and then looked over his hand once again before deciding on how to continue. "I set a monster in defense mode, and one card face down. My turn is over." Just like that the flow of the duel had changed, and Daniel was now in the driver's seat for the first time since it had begun.

With that new bit of breathing room Daniel felt that he could really relax, not just the little amount that he had done previously. Also, his monsters was stronger than ever. "Clockwork Paladin gains two hundred attack points over the passage of each turn. Since I played Time Jump he now has thirty-three hundred attack points. Nearly enough to finish you off if he goes direct."

"Time to see what you're defending. Clockwork Paladin, attack his set monster!" His machine promptly hurled his javelin, which slid through the holographic card and blew it into tiny pieces. Dalin's face down card didn't activate.

"You just flipped and destroyed Dark Angel Bardiel(300/300), who automatically allows me to take control of the monster that destroyed it, and turn it into a dark angel." Black wings suddenly burst out of Clockwork Paladin's back, and its eyes burned a dark red color. It flew over to Dalin and settled down in front of him.

'_Damn...it seems like every time I get an edge he has something waiting in the wings to counter me. Now one of my strongest monsters is his to control, and it'll just keep getting stronger. Just one chance now.'_ He slid his remaining card onto his duel disk, and that was all he could do for the turn.

The dark angel duelist immediately slammed his new card onto his duel disk, and another dark angel appeared, this one with red robes and a cruel sneer on his face. "This is Dark Angel Shamshel(1900/1500), and I can automatically equip Wings of Inferno onto him from the cemetery."

"Shamshel attacks you directly!" The named monsters launched his attack of falling flames, and Daniel's set card immediately flipped up, revealing a massive creature that barely had time to form before it was burned away. (DLLP: 4650)

"My Mobile Fortress Stronghold is a trap monster with zero attack and two thousand defense. It was enough to save me from that attack being a direct one, so I can't argue with it." Dalin raised an eyebrow, surprised at this action. Daniel knew why, but explaining himself would have to wait until his next turn.

"Very well. Dark Clockwork Paladin(3500/2100) now attacks you directly!" Daniel's former monster swooped down at him, and swung the javelin horizontally. It caught the half-demon in the stomach, lifted him off the ground, and then sent him flying back into the brick wall that was ten feet behind him. (DLLP: 1150)

Daniel dropped back to the ground, clutching his stomach. He knew the holograms were set to their maximum level of realism, but that was too real. _'Real enough to be magic. Looks like that's another reason this guy is so high up in the Underworld of Dueling. He can make his attacks even more dangerous.'_

When he looked back up he saw that Dalin was waiting with his arms across his chest, indicating that his turn was finished. That meant it was time for Daniel to get down to business. "You're about to wish you had checked the effect text of Gear Javelin before attacking me directly with a monster equipped with it."

"Now that it's my turn, and Gear Javelin is still my equip card, I can sacrifice it in order to activate its effect. All damage dealt by the equipped monster through battle is now transferred to my life points. So basically your attack didn't accomplish anything." Dark Clockwork Paladin's sword once again replaced the javelin, and energy flooded into Daniel's body, giving him back almost everything lost in the previous turn. (DLLP: 4650)

"Don't get too used to my Clockwork Paladin, because the downside to Gear Javelin is that it takes the equipped monster with it when sacrificed. Of course since you have control of it I'm not really bothered by the downside." Daniel sneered as his former monster faded away, leaving Dalin's only monster as his Dark Angel Shamshel.

"I set this single card face down, and that's all for now. Let's see if Shamshel can redo the damage you dealt last turn." Now it was his turn to fold his arms over his chest and wait patiently for his opponent to make his move. There was no telling exactly what would happen, but he could only hope he would be prepared.

His opponent glanced at his newest card, and then placed it in his duel disk, causing the holographic representation to appear in front of him. "I set a card face down. Next, Dark Angel Shamshel attacks directly with Rain of Fire!"

"I'm getting tired of that attack, so I'll make sure your Wings of Inferno don't come back. To do so I activate Chains of Time, which will keep your monster frozen in a single moment of time for as long as my trap card is active. That means your attack never went off, and your monster won't be attacking or defending you." Daniel smirked at the success of his play, as he knew he had kept himself from taking any serious damage.

"Very well. Your turn now begins, but I am prepared for what you will undoubtedly do." Daniel didn't care what his opponent said, he was just happy he had recovered from his previous losses. Now the duel was pretty even, with Daniel having the life point advantage.

"Okay, I activate Pot of Greed!" He slipped two cards off his deck, and smirked at what he saw. This would make the duel more interesting, that was for sure. Now all he had to do was use them correctly and everything would be fine.

"I've observed how you top deck, and I was certain that you would draw a card that would replenish your hand. Therefor I prepared accordingly with Death Binding Flames! This trap activates when you draw cards out of the draw phase, and as long as it remains active those drawn cards are removed from the game." Daniel gasped as black fire wrapped around his two new cards and pulled them away to hover above him.

"Now during each of your standby phases you will lose three hundred life points for each card that is removed from play in this manner. Since it is two, you will lose six hundred points during each of your turns." This news made Daniel scowl, but not as badly as the knowledge that he now had an empty field and no cards in his hand to work with. He couldn't continue his turn or defend himself.

Dalin drew, and promptly played his new card, just as he had done each turn. Once again it was another dark angel, this one with a black beard and a stern face. "This is Dark Angel Toraisu(1500/1500). He will not remain alone."

The underworld duelist slid another of his cards into his duel disk, and a jet black book appeared in Toraisu's hands. The fallen angel began to chant in Latin from a passage in the book. "This is Book of the Dark Faith. By discarding one card from my hand I can draw from my deck until I reach a dark angel, which will then be summoned. All other cards drawn this way are discarded."

He took the last card in his hand and slid it into the graveyard, before moving onto the draw part. The first card was sent to the grave, as was the second, and the third. But on the fourth card Dalin had what he needed. "I now summon the second Dark Angel Banafor(1700/1200) into play."

"Burning Orb Strike!" Daniel was ready for the attack, and with his demonic reflexes he caught the ball of black fire. It began scorching his hands immediately, but he pushed it upwards, sending it spiraling into the bricks behind him. It broke several, but dealt no severe damage to him. (DLLP: 4150)

"With nothing to defend yourself you are easy prey. Dark Angel Banafor, attack with Burning Blood Orb Strike! Dark Angel Toraisu, attack with Dance of Flame!" Black flames streaked over Daniel's body, forcing him to his knees from the pain. When the fire faded he was left intact, but worse for the wear. Especially his life points. (DLLP: 950)

"It seems we have come full circle, and now you are back to a state of helplessness. Remember what I said earlier. You won't be able to top deck yourself to victory against me. End Turn." Although Dalin had no face down cards, he did have a distinct advantage. Now it was Daniel's turn to see if he could prove Dalin wrong and draw a card to provide victory.

The moment Daniel drew he slammed the card into his disk, activating its effect. "I've just top decked myself to victory, and I'll prove it! Although I immediately take six hundred damage, your trap won't be a threat much longer, because I play Mystical Space Typhoon!" (DLLP: 350)

Dalin's trap shattered, and the two cards dropped back into Daniel's hand. "With my two cards back and available I start off by setting one card face down. Then I activate Broken Time! Our hands, decks, and graveyards are now shuffled together, and each of us draws four cards!"

Both duelists did as the card effect stated, and now all that remained was what had already been on the field. "Now, each duelist may choose to spend increments of one hundred life points to allow both players to draw an extra card. For each one hundred we pay we draw one card. I choose to pay three hundred life points!" (DLLP: 50)

Dalin narrowed his eyes and slid three cards off his deck, giving him seven cards. At the same time Daniel did the same, giving him more than enough options to make the duel especially interesting. "I choose not to spend any of my life points to allow you to draw more cards."

Daniel smirked and slapped a monster onto his disk. "I'm not really bothered. My new monster is Clockwork Priest(1500/1000) who creates a Clockwork Gear Token(500/500) for me to use." Two new monsters appeared, one a mechanical priest and the other a little gear monster.

"Also, Clockwork Priest lets me discard cards to create more tokens. So I discard these two cards from my hand to create two extra tokens." He slid the cards into his cemetery, and two more little gear monsters appeared. Now he had a total of four monsters to work with.

"Your monsters are no match for my dark angels. Show me something worthy of my strength Pilkington. I know you're capable of it." Daniel nodded, and took another card from his hand, which he slid into his disk.

"I'm well aware of that, but before I go any farther I'll have to rid myself of the threat of your face down card. So Mystical Space Typhoon once again helps me out and destroys your card!" A gust of wind shattered the set card, leaving Dalin only with his three dark angels, one of whom couldn't help Dalin out at all.

"Now I activate Clock Polish, which lets me sacrifice a Clockwork monster to gain one thousand life points. I offer up the original gear token for that life point increase." His little token faded away, and his life points took a turn for the better, putting him in relatively good standings. (DLLP: 1050)

"I'm surprised you didn't sacrifice the other Clockwork Gear Tokens to gain more life points. But perhaps you aren't simply running away, but need to pay for a cost. Is that it?" Daniel nodded, and then grabbed another card from his hand and placed it into his disk.

"Got it in one, but that comes later. My Junk Dealer magic card lets me revive two machines at half their stats. So I revive the two monsters I discarded, a Clockwork Runner(250/250) and a Clockwork Magician(250/250)." A little mechanical mouse and a mechanical magician stood in front of him, offering him new options.

"When these monsters are summoned I get to draw one card each. That's not the best part though. I can sacrifice monsters to my Clockwork Magician in order to draw a card. So I sacrifice my gear tokens to draw two new cards!" In quick succession he drew four cards, and his two tokens blew into tiny little pieces.

'_This is his true strength. I'm beginning to be impressed, but the question remains. Does he have the strength to turn this duel in his favor?' _Dalin smirked, ready and waiting for the assault that he knew was coming. He wondered exactly how strong an attack his opponent would be able to unleash.

"Now I sacrifice my magician and my runner to the magician's effect and draw two more cards!" Another two cards come off his deck, giving him a grand total of seven cards. But Dalin got the feeling he wasn't finished yet, and the crowd waited with baited breath.

"Here's what I needed life points for. Replay costs half my life points, and lets me reactivate a magic card from my cemetery. So I activate Junk Dealer to revive Clockwork Magician(250/250) and Clockwork Runner(250/250) again to draw two more cards!" The number of cards in his hand pumped up to eight as his two monsters appeared again. (DLLP: 525)

"You know what comes next. I sacrifice both of them to draw another two cards!" The two monsters once again vanished, but they left behind a dangerous legacy. Daniel now had ten cards in his hand, and there was no telling what those cards could accomplish for the machine duelist.

"I discard a card from my hand to create a Clockwork Gear Token(500/500). But that's not my real reason for discarding. I discarded so I could play Monster Reborn and revive a monster that will put you in a dangerous position. Meet Jinzo(2400/1500)!" The tall cyborg that was Daniel's favorite monster had now made his appearance, and the tide of the duel was turning in Daniel's favor.

"I continue to be impressed. But simply summoning a strong monster with a powerful effect does not guarantee victory, nor does drawing a large number of cards. I await your move, to see the ultimate peak of your power." Daniel's brow furrowed for a moment, but then he was back in his groove, ready to show Dalin what he was made of.

"I discard my Clockwork Technician(300/100) from my hand to prevent any Clockwork monsters from being destroyed until the start of the next turn. Normally that wouldn't include Jinzo, but since I don't want him to feel left out I've got the perfect magic card." Grinning he slid another of his numerous cards onto his disk, continuing his combo.

"Gear Conversion lets me change one monster on my field into a Clockwork monster with a bonus of five hundred points. So meet the new and improved Clockwork Android(2900/1500)!" Gold plating had now replaced Jinzo's green armor, and little gears could be seen spinning inside the armor.

"That's to protect Jinzo and here's the kill! Limiter Removal doubles each of my machine's attack power. Normally they would die at the end of the turn, but my Clockwork Technician prevents that." Dalin nodded, well aware that Daniel's deadly force was now pointed towards him. Each of the machines was now steaming as the pressure in their bodies built up.

"Clockwork Android(5800/1500) and Clockwork Priest(3000/1000) have enough power to destroy your two monsters and finish you off! Attack now!" The clockwork Jinzo gathered a ball of black energy in his hands, and then launched it at Banafor. At the same time Clockwork Priest attacked Toraisu with a burst of magical energy. Each monster shattered under the force of the attacks.

To Daniel's shock Dalin wasn't down for the count. In fact, blue energy was surging around his body, and he seemed to be reinforced with power. "I am never without an option. I activate Justice For All from my hand to set my life points at double their starting amount before you attacked. However, during each of my turns my life points will drop by half." (DLP: 3400)

"Then I'll just have to do as much damage as possible! Clockwork Gear Token(1000/500), attack him directly!" The monster slammed itself into Dalin's stomach, and though the duelist was forced backwards, he appeared to have barely felt the damage. He was used to duels like this and worse. (DLP: 2400)

"I've still got a distinct advantage, so I set two cards face down and end my turn." He slid his two cards onto his disk and now stood at the ready, awaiting the moment when he would be able to attack again. Dalin might have a good sized hand, but Daniel was ready for him.

Dalin drew, and the blue light around him faded somewhat, indicating the loss of life points. Every person in the crowd was now on the edge of their proverbial seat, waiting to see which of the two skilled duelists would come out on top. (DLP: 1200)

"You are a powerful duelist Daniel Pilkington. Worthy of my time and my effort. For that I thank you. However, you are not quite strong enough to defeat me. I activate my ritual magic card, Dark Justice Unleashed!" A set of black balancing scales appeared on the field, with a mystical urn on each side.

"To activate this card I must give up seven levels worth of monsters. I shall now do so in order to unleash my favorite monster, and what is perhaps my deadliest monster as well." He slid two cards from his hand into his cemetery, and the spirits of his monsters rushed into the urns, granting it the power needed to finish the ritual.

'_Whatever it is he's about to summon, I'm ready for him.'_ Daniel glanced down at his two set cards briefly, and then returned his attention to the field. The ritual was completing itself, and a new monster was being summoned.

"Now she is unveiled. Sol, Angel of Dark Justice(1900/1900)!" His angel was a beautiful woman in black robes, with her black wings extended out behind her. In one hand she held the same set of black balancing scales that had been used to summon her, and her eyes were covered by a black blindfold.

"It is over. Each turn I may discard one dark attribute monster from my hand to activate one of Sol's special abilities. So I discard a monster, and select her first ability. Dark Flames of Justice!" Sol reached up and pulled away her blindfold, and twin streaks of black fire shot across the field, slamming into Daniel's chest and dropping him to his knees. (DLLP: 0)

"Dark Flames of Justice is an effect that deals one thousand points of damage to the opposing player. That means that this duel is now over. A pity, isn't it?" Daniel grimaced, not knowing what was going to happen now that he had lost. If this was the guy that Rikuo had mentioned, then he was in trouble.

When he looked up, he saw that Dalin was already walking away, and the crowd was parting to let him through. Daniel stood up, blinking to clear away what seemed to be foggy vision. The attack must have done more damage than he thought. "What about the stakes? Aren't you going to take something of mine?"

Dalin stopped for just a brief moment to say what he had to. In that cold voice of his he surprised Daniel completely. "I already have. Thank you." He then continued walking, and vanished around the corner. Daniel gave chase, but found nothing there.

"I should have at least smelled something, but I can't smell a trace of him. Sometimes I really hate magic." Sighing he began the walk home, irritated by everything around him. The whole world seemed vague and fuzzy, and began to wonder if something was seriously wrong with him.

When he did make it home, he found a note from his wife saying that she was going out for groceries. Ichigo was laying face down on the table, his deck sprawled out in front of him. Apparently he had fallen asleep while reworking his deck. "That's my boy."

He smiled and grabbed a blanket from the crouch, which he draped over his son's body to keep him warm. He was still confused about what Dalin had said, but now he was home, and it seemed that his family was fine. So there was nothing to worry about.

Daniel turned on his heel and discovered that he was dead wrong. The face he saw staring at him in the mirror was a face he hadn't seen since he was still a teenager. It was a face completely devoid of unnatural features, such as ears and slotted eyes. Everything that made him a half-demon was gone, and now he knew why his senses seemed dulled. They were.

"Well that's new..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Next Chapter: Like Pieces Of A Puzzle_

Author's Notes: And there you have it. Alternate Dalin wins the duel, and Daniel is suddenly without his demonic powers. Can I get a 'dun dun dun!'?

_Review Responses_

G.O.T. Nick: I'll just snicker at you and leave it at that, okay? And I won't tell why I'm snickering.

Time Mage: The truth about this Alternate Dalin will wait for later.

Adriel Touchstone: Yeah...but it's no big.

**Original Cards**: (WGWolfGeneral card, TMTime Mage card, all the rest are mine)

Daniel: Clockwork Alarm(WG), Freeze Frame, Clockwork Gnome(WG), Clockwork Gear Shield, Clockwork Kuriboh, Clockwork Paladin, Gear Javelin, Chains of Time(WG), Broken Time(TM), Clockwork Priest(WG), Clockwork Runner(WG), Clockwork Magician(WG), Replay(WG), Clock Polish, Clockwork Technician, Gear Conversion

Dalin: Pitch-Black Inferno Bonds, Dark Angel Tsar, Wings of Inferno, Fallen Priest, Dark Angel Banafor, Dark Angel Viz, Black Inferno Sun, Dark Angel Ramiel, Dark Angel Shamshel, Death Binding Flames, Dark Angel Toraisu, Book of the Dark Faith, Justice For All, Dark Justice Unleashed, Sol-Angel of Dark Justice

Anime Cards: Junk Dealer, Dark Wall of Air


	9. Like Pieces Of A Puzzle

Author's Notes: Plot goodness ahead!

_**Chapter Eight: Like Pieces Of A Puzzle**_

"_Here is the final card of my combo! Tri-Thunder Blaze!" The three warriors unsheathed their blades, and raised them up. The points of the blades touched above their heads, and electricity began to crackle at the meeting place of the sword tips._

"_Tri-Thunder Blaze can only be played when I have all three Gilford the Lightnings in play. It then allows me to deal the opponent four thousands points of damage at a cost of their attack this turn. Its time to share again. I'll distribute that damage amongst both of you." Mataro and Ramesh dropped to their knees as the three lightning wielders leveled their swords at them._

"_It's over. Tri-Thunder Blaze!" A stream of white lightning erupted from the ends of those three swords, and it splashed over the two duelist's fields. She could hear them scream as it swept through them, burning away the spirits that possessed them. (RLP: 0, MLP: 0)_

"_I hate Darkness Games." The shadows faded from around them, as did her monsters. Everyone who had been waiting on the outside was shocked to see the three Obelisk Blue boys passed out on the ground, and the girl that appeared to be from Osiris Red still standing. _

_Kirani limped away from the field, and settled her gaze on the dark haired Kodowari. He was the only one in the entire group who didn't appear shocked. He had a calm and knowing look on his face, one that was slightly amused. She had seen that look many times on Taichi Nobuki's face, and it was bound to mean trouble from his son, even in a different dimension._

_She blinked as she felt her weight suddenly supported, and realized that Drake had just wrapped an arm around her, lending her support. "Sometimes its nice not to have to be tough, right?" _

_The two shared a brief smile, and then turned their attention back to Kodowari. The group pulled him away from the rest of his friends, far enough away so that nobody could overhear. They circled around him like vultures watching a future meal about to die. Then they struck. "We need to talk."_

"Of course we do. I bet you want to know about the RPG group I'm in, don't you? After all, she was asking questions about it around here earlier today." The gang shared a brief look of surprise, but then returned to the matter at hand.

Kai stepped up and looked down at the boy, his eyes hard but displaying a degree of kindness. "The people in the hospital wing are friends of yours. We need to know whether your did it, or at the very least who the other members of the RPG group are."

Kodowari smiled knowingly, and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I said I knew that you guys needed to and wanted to talk to me. I never said I'd cooperate. After all, what's in it for me?"

Being the irritable wolf-demon that he is Rikuo snarled and reached out with his claws to grab the boy by the shirt. But he stopped short when another hand clenched around the boy's throat and lifted him into the air. Rikuo turned an approving glance upon Dalin, who was holding Kodowari at eye level. "You saw that orb of darkness form and you weren't shocked. That means you know what a Darkness Game is, correct?"

Kodowari gulped, and slowly nodded his head, all traces of his confident smile gone. "Then I assume you realize that all of us standing around you are no ordinary duelists, and should we challenge you to a Darkness Game, you would lose."

Once again the boy gulped, nodding his head slightly, not even daring to speak. "Then to avoid such a fate, simply tell us what we need to know. Believe me when I say that feeding you to our demonic friend would be more pleasant than the Punishment Game I would inflict upon you."

Rikuo leaned in towards the other three duelists, and whispered to them confidentially. "Is he always this scary, or is it something new?"

They shrugged, and then sighed a bit. "He's always this scary. He'd make a good member of your family actually. Dangerous as anything you could imagine." Rikuo grinned smugly, and folded his arms across his chest. Dangerous huh? Yeah, he liked that adjective.

Dalin dropped the teen, and after a brief scramble for footing the young duelist was back up and looked ready to talk. "I get it already. I'm not going to let myself get challenged to a Darkness Game by one of the top ranked duelists of Underworld of Dueling."

Dalin didn't respond in any way to this comment, but the others looked confused. Rikuo narrowed his eyes and looked over the four duelists, not noticing their brief looks of confusion. _'Underworld of Dueling huh? That would explain how a bunch of duelists of such skill came out of nowhere without me ever hearing about them. That must be where Dalin brought Drake back to, wherever those duels take place.'_

"Outside of the few people you've seen in the hospital wing, there are four other members. Not all of us are Osiris Red after all. I'm the last member of the group in Osiris Red. There are three in Ra Yellow and one in Obelisk Blue." Kodowari briefly massaged his throat, glaring at Dalin out of the corner of his eye.

About a dozen feet away Kodowari's fellow Osiris Red students were watching them curiously, wondering exactly what was going on. It seemed weird that these people had come out of nowhere to talk to Kodowari, but they knew him to have been involved in some unusual activity. "And who might they be?"

"Well, those four don't show up as often as the others, because they don't like to be seen associating with Osiris Red students. The Obelisk Blue guy in particular rarely comes, but when he does he comes out in the lead of whatever game we play. It's like he does it just as a test of skill." Kodowari paused for a moment, noticing the several glares he was getting. They wanted names, not explanations.

"Okay, I really can't tell you that guy's name because I don't know it. All I know is that he's a high ranked member of the dorm, and quickly rising. The top of the three Ra Yellows on the other hand is the highest ranked in his dorm, and likely to move to Obelisk Blue soon. His name is Masue Hitachi." The group absorbed this information, filing it away for later.

"Next down the line is a girl named Alice Terry. She's a pretty girl, and a major game lover. She'll play anything related to games, and she's brilliant at them. In fact, she's here more to become a game designer than a duelist. But believe me, she's good. She's in her final year here, and she'd be Obelisk Blue if she didn't spend half her time daydreaming and thinking up new games." Once more the information was taken in, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

"Final of the three Ra Yellows is this weird guy by the name of Vance Yeomen. Every character he makes in our RPGs are off-color, and he goes for the rarely used classes. I don't know what the hell deck theme he runs, but I hear it's just as weird as he is." Dalin nodded, and then stepped aside, allowing Kirani to approach, using Drake as a support.

"We've got another question for you. Or rather I do. Your dad, Taichi Nobuki, he taught you about Darkness Games, didn't he?" Kodowari grimaced, but after a stern look from Dalin and a wolfish glare from Rikuo he nodded.

"When dad was fifteen he...I don't know, he went a bit out of his mind. They locked him up in a corrective institute for five years before deeming him fit to return to society. He immediately jumped into the dueling circuit and became a top ranked duelist. My mom and I always heard his stories about what happened to him, and just two years ago he took me aside..."

He took a deep breath, something obviously troubling him. Finally he managed to continue. "Well, he explained to me in great detail about his so-called 'possession'. For the longest time I had thought it was all crazy talk, but then he unfolded everything around us into that kind of dome. It was what he called a Darkness Game, and he taught me all about them."

Drake snapped his hand out and grabbed Kodowari by the shirt, pulling him in close. "Tell us about this possession. I want to know exactly what your dad said about it. I want to know about the dark spirit that possessed him."

"Geez man! I was already talking, now lay off!" Kirani lay a placating hand over Drake's hand, and slowly the punk duelist released his grip on the young teen. Kodowari smoothed his uniform jacket out, and continued his story.

"Dad said the dark spirit that possessed him was a incredibly ancient, and that it had been moving from place to place for thousands of years. Said that it's origins weren't 'of this plane of existence', whatever the hell that means. Also said it was searching for a way to return to its own plane." Drake narrowed his eyes, recognizing similarities to the dark spirit they knew, but also recognizing the differences.

"This spirit was pretty obsessed about getting back to its own home, and from what dad told me, it had been locked out millennia ago by something from that plane. It was willing to do whatever was needed to get there, and it wanted my dad to do the job for him. When it learned that my dad didn't have the resources and couldn't be used to get them, it abandoned him and went in search of another host. That's all I know about it." Drake nodded, and turned away, walking in the opposite direction and taking Kirani with him.

Suddenly Kodowari spoke up again. "I remembered something else. The last thing that the spirit told my dad. It said: 'I know the method, and under twenty years I will destroy this world to open the Dimension Gate. Then I will return home at last.'

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Daniel had managed to keep calm so far, and he had written a note to both Jennie and Ichigo, telling them that Rikuo desperately needed his help so he had to leave. It was a part truth, but the biggest factor was that he didn't want his family being afraid for him because his demon blood was somehow gone.

He was certain that a Darkness Game had never been put into affect. That meant it was an entirely different form of magic that the Dalin guy had used to strip him of his demonic side. Since it was unknown magic to him, he could think of only one person who might know what it was.

It felt rather weird not to be able to run at great speeds, or to see or smell the things he normally could. Of course he had spent the first half of his life without his demon blood awakened, having only the normal abilities of a human. Now that he was without his demonic powers again he felt weak, almost helpless.

Daniel gripped the wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. _'Ryu, I hope you have answers for me. Otherwise I don't know what I'll do.'_

The dragon demon had agreed to meet him near the docks, and had said to 'wait for the helicopter.' Daniel knew that Ryu was rich, but a helicopter seemed rather impractical. It also seemed like a very Kaiba-ish way to do

A quick turn onto a side road put him less than a mile from the docks, and he had about ten minutes to wait before Ryu said he would be there. The whole problem here wasn't that not having demon powers was a bad thing, but rather that he was accustomed to them, and he might need them in the future. It was like losing part of himself.

He parked the car and leaned back into the seat, heaving a sigh as he sat back to wait for Ryu. The next thing he heard was the sound of a helicopter, leading him to believe that either he had drifted off for a moment or that Ryu was early. It didn't matter which one it was.

With a quick shove he had the door opened and was out of the car. The wind blew his hair around wildly, but he stood stoically waiting for the copter to finish its descent. In under a minute it did, the blades slowing until they came to a stop. Finally a tall golden haired man in a business suit exited the helicopter.

Ryu Zaytel, formerly known as Jourgen Politumas, one of the demon lords and a mighty warrior from an ancient past. He also had seemingly an endless bag of tricks up his sleeves, and never stayed dead. He was perhaps the only person Daniel had ever met who could manage to stay alive better than a villain. For proof, he was alive whereas most villains they had encountered were not.

"I almost didn't believe it when you told me, yet here you are, without your demonic blood. There is no scent of your blood about you, nor do you have a demonic aura any longer. There is a trace of something unusual though..." Ryu paused, scrutinizing the former half-demon. Daniel bore the inspection patiently, knowing that it was for his benefit.

"It wasn't done by a Darkness Game. Other than that, I really don't have any knowledge about what did it. So whatever you could tell me would be great. Preferably a way to fix this." Daniel folded his arms, tapping his foot from a combination of nervousness and impatience. He just desperately wanted this problem fixed. Preferably without his wife finding out.

Ryu narrowed his eyes and then to Daniel's surprise the dragon demon jerked back with an audible hiss. "Impossible! Those arts have long been lost, no texts have existed for several thousand years."

"See, that sort of cryptic stuff doesn't help my position. Any explanation you could provide would be great." The other duelist nodded, and settled into a comfortable position leaning against the car. It would take a little bit of doing to explain this.

"At one point or another there have been threats so great that demons and humans had to work together, despite natural animosity. It is believed that this specific form of cooperation came around the time of Valeus' reign of terror. It was a method of taking demonic power and infusing it in humans, or granting demons the ability to use human magic. But it came with a price, and the records of how the procedure was done was wiped out before I was even born." Daniel nodded, beginning to get the picture.

"Whatever the power is, it has a specific trace that can be seen in any of those who have been affected by it. I have seen those, and so I recognize the trace aura. There is a problem I see though. This procedure would require a demon and a human to perform the first time. That implies this fellow you dueled has demonic aid. It also implies that since no demon was present and no ritual was performed, that he has done this a number of times before." A frown settled on the demon's face, and it didn't leave as he continued.

"The fact that he so easily stripped you of your blood after defeating you in a duel speaks of enormous power. Whether it is from him or from another source I can't tell without actually seeing this person and examining their aura. Unfortunately I can't help you yet, except for give you one piece of advice. The only way to find any method to reverse it is to go straight to the source and confront this man. That means going to the Underworld of Dueling."

"The Underworld of Dueling...somehow I've got a bad feeling about this. But...I'd be grateful if you would accompany me. I get the feeling I'm going to need some help." Ryu smiled slightly, and extended his hand. It looked like they had a new mission, and a new problem.

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"The Underworld of Dueling...why didn't you guys just tell me that was where you did your dueling? So this shape snatcher guy, he's got something to do with the Underworld, yeah?" Rikuo flipped a chair around and sat down, crossing his arms over the back and leaning forwards to watch and wait.

They gave him strange looks, and finally Kai gave him a response. "I don't think any of us have ever heard of this Underworld. It's most likely that Kodowari simply believed us to be part of this group because of how powerful Kirani was in her duel."

"Bullshit. I've heard all sorts of weird shit about the Underworld of Dueling, how the duelists weren't normal people. You guys definitely qualify in that category. I mean, Drake looks almost exactly like he did nearly two decades ago. So I want answers." The group shot each other uncertain looks, like they were debating telling him something.

"There is a presence. Someone with demonic power has been following us for some time." Dalin spoke up so suddenly that everyone was surprised, but once he had finished speaking the resident nose was on the job.

Rikuo took a deep whiff, and then snarled, realizing what it was. "Damn it...I told her not to follow! And we were just discussing the members of that RPG group. One of them is bound to be this guy you're searching for, and I won't let her fall victim!"

Drake grimaced as he realized what Rikuo was talking about. "Eri was listening in? That's not good, we've got to get out there and find those Ra Yellow duelists and that Obelisk blue guy before she does. Otherwise there's no telling what could happen."

Without another word the five duelists sprinted out of the room, trying to follow the trail left by Eri as she left in a great rush. Rikuo knew how stubborn his daughter was, she took after him and Jasmine, which made her doubly as stubborn. Unless they found her fast, she would challenge one of those duelists to a Darkness Game.

Although Rikuo had great confidence in his daughter, he also knew that any opponent who could get duelists of these five's caliber up in arms would be too great of a challenge for his princess. He wasn't going to let her soul get taken because she was as stubborn and arrogant as he was. "I won't let your soul get taken. I'm coming princess!"

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The sound of footfalls against metal were the only things that could be heard. Each footfall echoed throughout the vast series of metal corridors before finally fading away at a great distance. The corridors were quite literally a maze, where under normal circumstances obstacles would be active. At the moment they were inactive, because the games weren't going.

The footfalls paused for a moment, and after a pause a whooshing sound could be heard. An electronic door had just opened, allowing entrance into a vast circular room, where a giant object filled the center of the room.

It towered far above a normal person at roughly twenty-five feet in height, and was an equal distance in every direction. It was in the shape of a pentagon, only it was three dimensional. Each bar of the device was covered in strange runes, all of which moved fluidly, never staying in one spot for more than a brief moment.

Anyone who looked closer would see that the device was not formed of metal, but rather something unusual and strange. A person capable of seeing auras would be able to see it giving off a blazing light, both dark and light. Each piece of the device was forged of energy, and people surrounded it on all sides, chanting.

The person who had entered the room stepped past a pair of burly guards, barely noticing them. He was equally as large as they were, and he had power they couldn't possibly hope to match. Yet to any normal person they were beyond reach.

He walked forward with great purpose, and came to a full stop right in front of the device. Slowly he reached out with one hand and pressed the palm of his right hand against it, and something happened. Tendrils of light began flowing through his veins, and when they reached his palm the device lit up underneath it.

It took roughly thirty seconds before the light stopped flowing through his veins, and he stepped away, taking a quick look at the device once more. It was barely perceivable, but it was there. The device was now slightly bigger.

"Power to feed it. You have done well, this one's power was great, particularly for a half-demon. Yet still more is needed." The voice came from all around the room, and everyone but the chanters stopped what they were doing.

"Mass action cannot be taken, discovery must be avoided. One of you will now search out different magic to compliment the recent addition of demonic power. Which of you will undertake this great task?" There was a slight pause before one person spoke up, his dark eyes staring straight at the device as he spoke.

"I have the perfect target in mind. I will take his power and add it to the process of growth." The man smirked and raised his arm, revealing one of the newer models of duel disks. Power seemed to radiate off him, just as confidence did.

"Davis Coffin's power will be used to feed the process. And I will get a duel I've desired for quite some time. All I need is passage to Spain, and nothing more." There was a brief pause, and a man came forward, holding out a package of documents. Within it was a passport and all the necessary items required for international travel.

"Go forth. We shall await your return."

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Back at Duelist Academy one lone figure could be seen perched up on the top of the medical wing, his cold eyes staring down at five swiftly departing figures. They were chasing after the scent of Eri Amero, a trail that would lead them into danger.

The figure fiddled with an object in his hands, which was revealed to be a blue jacket, part of an Obelisk Blue girl's uniform. This particular uniform top was a spare that belonged to Erika Amero.

For about the third time that day he felt like laughing. It was always too easy to get things done. He would have what he wanted in the end, and that was what mattered. His ice blue eyes lit up with merriment as they headed in exactly the wrong direction.

Kodowari Nobuki smirked and tossed the uniform jacket over his shoulder, then stood up to his full height, staring down at the backs of the retreating duelists. "There always has to be bait for a trap to be sprung."

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_Next Chapter: The Beginnings of Trouble_

Author's Notes: Really, not much to say is there? PLOTAGE!

_Review Responses_

G.O.T. Nick: As you can see it DID have to do with the Dark Spirit.

Time Mage: All these questions and more to be answered. Also, there is no light counterpart to Banafor. Not all the Dark Angels have counterparts.

John: Yes, wow.

WolfGeneral: As you can see, not much except for plotage.

**Original Cards**:

NONE


	10. The Beginnings of Trouble

Author's Notes: This is where things start to really heat up. Davis Coffin and Asriel Coffin are not my creations. They belong to Gryphinwyrm7 and his story Yu-Gi-Oh! War of the Gods

_**Chapter Nine: Beginnings of Trouble**_

Eri scowled and pushed aside the tall Ra Yellow boy who had gotten in her way. These punks in Ra Yellow refused to allow her entrance to the Ra Yellow girl's dormitory, so she was having to force her way in. "If you don't just let me in I'm going to have to break you all in half!"

A bright and life filled chuckle stopped everyone in front of the dorm. A girl now stood at the balcony of the dormitory, and was looking down at the display. She was the one who had laughed. "Erika Amero, daughter of Rikuo Amero, and a member of Obelisk Blue. What brings you to Ra Yellow?"

Eri looked up at the female duelist in a yellow uniform. She was what most men would consider attractive, with long blonde hair and shockingly bright blue eyes. Eri could see a great deal of intelligence in those eyes, and knew this was no stereo-typical blonde. "I'm looking for Alice Terry."

"Is that so? Well, you've come to the right place. I'm Alice Terry, but you can call me the Queen of Ra Yellow. Only one other duelist in the Ra Yellow dorm can match my level, and he's the King of Ra Yellow." Eri smirked, satisfied that she had found her target so quickly. With one powerful leap she made it all the way up to the balcony, and was now perched on the edge and looking down at Alice.

"I've heard some interesting things about you. I want some questions answered, so you have two options. I beat the answers out of you, or you give them to me freely. What do you say?" She curled up her lips into a cocky smile, showing off her fangs as she did so.

Alice just smiled, and stepped backwards, spreading her arms out to encompass the entire dorm. "I've got a third option. I'll give you the answers freely if you can beat me at a game that I've been working on. Think you have the skill?"

"No challenge is too great for Erika Amero. I'll crush you at whatever game you have in mind!"

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In the mountains of Spain, just outside the border of Andorra, two people were hard at work. Both of them appeared to be in their thirties, and were busy hacking away at the mountainside.

The man stopped for a moment and ran a rag cloth over his forehead, wiping away the sweat that had been accumulating. Just a few feet away the woman stopped as well, and tossed a water bottle to the man. "Think we're getting close?"

The man, who was named Davis Coffin, smiled at his wife Asriel. He propped the pick axe over his shoulder and took a drink from the water, letting out a satisfied sigh as he felt the cool liquid go down his throat. "You know in archeology you can never be sure you'll find something worthwhile. We're just working off rumors, so there's no telling if we have the area right."

Davis was right of course, but that didn't make it any less interesting. He enjoyed archeology, and found that not knowing how a dig would turn out just made it more interesting. "I mean, I never expected I'd find a wife back when we first met. I was more expecting to lose that duel for a while actually."

Asriel smirked and brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. They had met during a tournament a number of years ago, and after an interesting duel Davis had banished her hatred, and she fell in love with him. Now nearly two decades later they were married and had a beautiful daughter. "You got lucky in that one. But I beat you in our rematch."

"You distracted me if I remember right." His wife shrugged, and hefted her own pick axe over her shoulder.

"You know what they say. All's fair in love and Duel Monsters." Davis laughed and slung an arm over her shoulder, the two of them dissolving into chuckles. It was always fun to remember the past, particularly when it was as interesting as theirs was.

"That's an interesting philosophy to go by. But some things in Duel Monsters aren't fair, some things are unbalanced. It's winning against the odds that make you a true duelist." Both of them looked around in surprise, trying to find the source of this new voice. A few rocks tumbled down from a ledge above them, and they looked up.

There above them was a man dressed in a black martial arts gi, with a silver belt tied at the waste and silver arm bands. His black hair was kept out of his eyes by a loose band that just happened to be silver. He was sitting down and looking at them, a steady smile on his face. "Yo!"

To their surprise he pushed off from the ledge, and dropped straight down to their dig sight. He landed it with a great deal of grace, barely looking bothered that he had just dropped fifteen or twenty feet. Davis blinked, and asked the obvious question. "Who are you?"

The man in the gi smiled brightly again and extended his hand, which Davis took gratefully. "My name is Takuya Shinomori. I've been waiting a long time to meet you Davis Coffin. It's a bonus that I get to meet your beautiful wife as well."

Takuya extended his hand to Asriel, and when she accepted he shook her hand heartily, a big grin on his face. Davis rubbed the back of his head, rather put off by Takuya's sudden appearance and cheerfulness. "You've been hoping to meet us? What are you doing out here anyways? This is a remote dig site."

"I was hoping I'd be able to test my skills against a duelist such as yourself. A man who is said to have the hearts of heroes within him, a duelist who is said to have such great skill. Particularly a duelist who once called himself a Sage." Davis' eyes widened in shock. He hadn't heard himself called that in a great deal of time. In fact, he hadn't heard the word mentioned at all in a long while.

"You want to duel me? How do you know about the Sage's Games anyways?" Takuya grinned and raised his left arm, where a duel disk was already in place. It activated, and he slid a deck into it.

"Of course I want to duel you. I've been looking forward to it for a long time. As for the Sage's Games...I knew an interesting fellow by the name of Yoruto at one point. He's the one who told me all about you." Davis nodded, remembering the raven demon he had dueled back when the Sage's Games were going on. He had been a deadly opponent.

"I guess I'm okay with that. Just give me a second. I don't even have a duel disk with me." Takuya smiled and reached into a bag he had slung over his shoulder. From within it he pulled a standard issue duel disk, and tossed it to Davis. Davis took it gratefully and then picked his deck up from within his bag before putting it in the disk. (DLP: 4000)

"Call me Kensai by the way. That's the name I usually go by. If you don't mind, I'd like to take the first move." Davis nodded, and drew five cards from his deck. At the same time Kensai drew five cards, and then a sixth card to begin the duel. (KLP: 4000)

"Prepare to face my strength. I activate the continuous magic card Wandering Samurai! This card came in a pack of the Supreme Duelist series, and that makes it one of a kind." A green bordered card appeared holographically in front of Kensai. On it was a picture of a red haired man in pinkish clothes, a sword at his hip, and a cross-shaped score on his cheek.

"Supreme Duelist huh? Well what exactly does your Wandering Samurai card do?" Kensai smirked, as if he had been waiting to hear that. He took another card from his hand and slapped it onto his duel disk, and the monster began to form.

"To show you I'll have to summon. So I start off by summoning Freed the Brave Wanderer(1700/1000) in attack mode!" A blonde haired man in armor now stood in front him, his cape blowing out with each gust of the wind. In one hand he carried a deadly looking sword, and he had a grim look on his face.

"Wandering Samurai activates whenever I normal summon a level four or lower warrior. It instantly allows me to special summon one other monster from my deck with the same name as the monster I just summoned. So here's the second Freed the Brave Wanderer(1700/1000)!" Now two identical warriors stood in front of him, each one brandishing their swords.

Asriel applauded slightly, always interested in a duelist who played warriors. Davis himself used some warriors, but she got the feeling just from this guy's name and his first play that a lot of warriors would be on their way. "Warrior rush huh? Should be an interesting duel."

Kensai smirked and took another card from his hand, which he slowly slid into his disk. "I'll set that card face down, and then my turn is complete. I hope you have a good hand, otherwise you'll be in trouble pretty quickly."

Davis drew, and then was ready to start his own turn. "This duel is only just getting started, so there's no need to get cocky yet. It's time to have a little fun!"

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"Now I offer up the necessary amount of power to call out my ultimate creature!" Eri's eyes widened as eight balls of energy combined themselves together. From that energy formed a massive creature, far larger than anything else on the field. It was also easily the strongest creature in play.

"Next I trigger my creature's special ability, and all it costs is a bit more power and a card from my hand!" She discarded a card from her hand, and energy flowed into the beast. Eri clenched her teeth as a massive blast of energy slammed into her field, covering it all in smoke.

"Now, my two monsters will attack!"

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Kodowari sighed, and dropped down from the top of the building. Now that those idiots were out of sight he was clear to make his getaway and prepare his next trap. He was certain they would walk into it just as quickly as they had walked into this one.

A hand on his shoulder was all that alerted him to the sudden presence behind him. He forced himself not to jump in surprise, and stepped away so that he could turn around and face the new comer. "Oh I see. What do you want?"

"They're strong right? A lot of power both as duelists and in general?" Kodowari nodded, seeing where this line of questioning was going. He felt like an information broker, only he never got anything out of answering the questions. Not money, nothing.

"Good. I'm itching for a good duel, and I could do with a trophy to give to the process. I won't pick, since I'm sure you have something in mind for each of them. I'll just face the first one I get alone." There was a flare of light, and then the other was gone, leaving Kodowari alone once again.

"I hate that guy, I really do."

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"You'll regret giving me any leeway! I summon Behemoth of the Night(3500/3000) in attack mode! Even your ultimate creature pales in comparison to this beast!" Indeed it was so, because Eri's monster was even larger and more powerful than Alice's ultimate creature. But for some reason Alice still seemed confident.

"I'll wipe that cocky smirk off your face and teach you why you're in Ra Yellow and not Obelisk Blue! Behemoth of the Night attacks!"

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Dalin paused, and the others blew past him in their run to keep up with Rikuo. His gaze settled in the distance, where he felt power flaring up. Two sources of demonic energy, one more demonic than the other. "Interesting."

He took a glance towards the backs of his companions as they faded into the distance, and then made up his mind. With his resolve settled he began the walk towards the sources of demonic power. This required investigation, and the others would be able to handle whatever they encountered.

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Rikuo skidded to a brief halt as the air around him began to shift. He took a whiff, and discovered that magic was in the air. It was taking the form of a thick fog, and it was clouding everything from view. "Heh, trying to keep me from my goal huh? Whoever's doing this obviously didn't count on demonic senses! My sense of smell isn't affected in the slightest!"

With that said he burst into a sprint, putting himself farther ahead of the others. With the descent of the fog, the humans in the group found themselves lost. Drake, Kai, and Kirani all ended up heading in entirely different directions.

In a branch of a tall tree that rested just outside of the borders of the fog was Kodowari Nobuki watched the scurrying of his targets. Since he had created the fog, he could easily see through it. "Such a wonderful type of magic. A fog of magic, one of several forms. Although I think this one's results will be quite amusing."

"I hear that our friend is going after one of them. That means that there's at least another spare for me, right?" Kodowari looked down, and spotted a head of unruly blonde hair. He recognized that head of hair, and knew it could be only one person.

"Sure, go ahead. I don't care what you do. As long as you don't interfere with my plan or my fun I don't mind at all. In the end all of us will get needed power, and be able to advance." Both of them chuckled, and then Kodowari watched yet another person enter the fog. Only this one was guided by him. Things were going to get more interesting quite soon.

Back within the fog Kai quickly discovered that without the ability to see anything he was utterly lost. He couldn't advance very far or fast, for fear of striking something or running blindly into a trap. So now he was moving forwards very cautiously, hoping that he didn't trigger something deadly.

He stopped abruptly as he heard the sound of leaves crunching. He couldn't tell from which direction it was coming, but he knew it was getting closer. "Who's there?"

A baritone chuckle reached him, and Kai had just a brief second's warning before something solid collided with the back of his head. The world swam, and then everything went dark. There was no fog of magic, only the fog of unconsciousness.

Not very far away Kirani was also wandering around slowly, trying to stay safe. She came to a halt when a slightly off color laugh could be heard coming closer. There was something unsettling about the sound, something that sent a chill through her body.

"Red rum...red rum...red rum..." Kirani groaned, rolling her eyes as the strange voice continued to repeat the phrase. She didn't need a mirror to know what it was supposed to be, and she didn't feel afraid of anyone who used such a hackneyed expression.

To her surprise hot breath now wafted into her ear as someone spoke from directly behind her. "Hello Clarice..."

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Davis closed his eyes for a moment, hearing the whispers of the powers within himself. The spirits of long dead heroes who had powers to guide him, powers to strengthen him. His eyes snapped open, and he was smiling brightly. "My move may not be quite as impressive, but it's a start."

Taking a card from his hand, he placed it on his disk and then followed it up with two more cards. "I summon D.D. Assailant(1700/1200) and set two cards face down. Your turn Kensai." A blonde warrior wielding a buster sword now stood in front of him, with two cards behind the blonde warrior.

Kensai nodded and snapped his drawn card around, showing the picture of an angel to Davis. "Well Mr. Sage, my Graceful Charity is no rare card, but it serves its purpose, just like any other card. No need to explain its effect to you." He drew three, scanned his hand, and then discarded two different cards.

"Get ready to see the power of my Wandering Samurai again. I summon Strike Ninja(1700/1000) to the field, letting me special summon another one!" Two ninjas in black clothe with little daggers in their hands and red scarfs around their necks helped to fill up Kensai's field. He already had four monsters on his field and it was only his second turn.

"I'm willing to see my warriors fall to destroy you. So here I go, Strike Ninja will attack your D.D. Assailant!" The ninja blurred into motion, its daggers extended for the killing blow. However the assailant swung his buster sword around and smashed it into the side of the ninja's head, sending him sprawling backwards into the group of monsters.

"My Hero's Cause requires I have a warrior on the field to activate, my assailant fits the bill. It lets me discard the top card of my deck to prevent you from attack me this turn. So I'll just send this card to the cemetery and be done with it." He noted the card, and then let it fall into the appropriate slot.

"I expected something like that from you. After all, you are supposed to be a mighty warrior. Well, though you are a warrior by heart, I am a warrior by heart, soul, and body. Which means I hold the advantage in a battle of warriors at all time." He smirked confidently, his three card hand held casually in his left hand.

Davis pointed at Kensai, an equally confident look on his face. "There are a lot of different types of warriors, and we just happen to be different types. So there's no advantage on either side, just differences. I for one never believe any duelist ever holds a true advantage over another."

"Noble sentiment, I respect that. However, I don't believe it to be true, and I'll prove that to be the case before this duel is over. For now I set one card face down, and it's back to you." A second card materialized beside his first, and now both of his zone sets were almost full.

The archeologist drew his next card, and then let a smile once again grace his features. He flashed the card to his wife, who grinned brightly at seeing what it was. "You want a warrior Kensai? Well I'll give you one. Mataza the Zapper(1300/800) in attack mode!"

A green armored samurai shimmered and appeared, readying his blade for a sudden attack. Kensai stood impassively waiting for the creature to attack. "Mataza's double attack ability may be useful, but he isn't strong enough to defeat any of my monsters. That means you have something else in mind."

"That's exactly right. I'll tell you now that my wife is always standing with me in a duel, and thanks to that I have greater power. So let me demonstrate by activating my face down equip magic card! United We Stand!" D.D. Assailant stepped up and clapped a hand on Mataza's shoulder, allowing energy to flow through him into the warrior.

Kensai's eyes widened slightly as he saw the sudden increase in power. "I see...with that attack bonus Mataza has a combined attack score of twenty-nine hundred, making him much stronger than any of my creatures. Impressive move."

"I'm not done yet, not by far. Mataza, attack the first Strike Ninja!" Mataza bellowed his battle cry and then ran forwards and slashed his blade at the ninja. Unfortunately the Strike Ninja did a somersault over Mataza's head and landed on the other side.

"You can't hit what you can't see. Strike Ninja, activate your special ability, Smoke Bomb!" The ninja held up a little silver sphere, and then threw it against the ground. It exploded, and smoke poured forth, clouding everyone's view of Strike Ninja. When the smoke faded, he was gone.

"What in the...where did he go?" Kensai smiled and put his hand out in front of his cemetery slot, which suddenly ejected two cards. He slid those cards into his gi belt and then folded his arms across his chest.

"Strike Ninja's Smoke Bomb ability allows him to remove himself from play until the end of the turn at a cost of removing two dark main types from my grave. Thanks to Graceful Charity I had those monsters, and that's not all. It allows me to implement one of the deadliest weapons of my strategy!" One of his two face down cards flipped face up, and Davis could see what it looked like.

The trap's symbol showed that it was continuous, and the picture was gruesome. A Freed had blood all over him, and arrows sticking out of his body, but at the same time he had plunged his sword into the chest of a Mefist. Davis read the name aloud. "Warrior's Death Blow...what does that do?"

"Whenever a warrior sub-type is removed from the game I can make a strike at you with that monster as if it were battle. If the warrior 'battles' something that is stronger, the stronger monster's attack is reduced by my warrior's attack. Now take into account that Strike Ninja's effect removes itself from play and you've just seen my power!" Davis' eyes widened as he realized the implications of this play.

"First with his dying breath my Dark Blade(1800/1600) will destroy D.D. Assailant!" A spectral Dark Blade shot out of nowhere and ran his blade through D.D. Assailant's chest. Both warriors shattered into pixels and were gone. (DLP: 3900)

"No...since my assailant is gone Mataza loses eight hundred of his attack points!" Kensai nodded, and then pointed straight at the offending monster which was still loitering around on his side of the field.

"Now the dying spirit of my Psycho Shocker Knight(2400/1500) attacks Mataza!" A tall warrior in black and green armor rose up in front of Mataza and casually backhanded him aside. The two were scattered into the winds, and the damage was done. (DLP: 3600)

Asriel watched with a grimace as her husband's life points suddenly were wide open for even the most casual attack. The worst part was, she knew what was coming next. "Since you have no more monsters on your field my Strike Ninja's ghost may attack you directly!"

The spectre that had once been Strike Ninja moved out from behind Kensai. It then hurled a dagger at Davis, striking him in the stomach and driving him backwards. He grimaced, but kept his ground even as his life points took a drop. "I'm not out yet!" (DLP: 1900)

"I never claimed you were, but you'll be hard pressed to recover from that little fiasco. Especially since anytime I remove a Strike Ninja from play I'll be removing three warriors total, since there isn't a single non-warrior in my deck. This is the strategy that has granted me many a victory. Show me if you can overcome it." Davis nodded and took two of his cards, which he slid into his duel disk.

"I'll do that very thing. But I hope you can show me that you have more strength than just one simple strategy, otherwise I won't be happy with this duel. So far it's been a lot of fun, but it's only been four turns. That means it's bound to heat up." The two duelists faced off, each with a happy smile on their face because of the enjoyable duel they were having. Each one a warrior in his own way.

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Alice smirked knowingly as her ultimate creature, once again in play, blew away the forces that Eri had assembled. "You're very good at this game considering you've never played it before, but nobody can beat me at my own game, especially not their very first time."

Eri scowled, knowing she was almost beaten and had little left to work with. But she was an Amero, she was a demon, she was Obelisk Blue, and she wasn't finished yet. "I can still survive, I'm prepared."

The Ra Yellow girl nodded and began to announce her attack when something caught her attention. She looked to her left and saw a tall and powerfully built figure approaching them. "Well damn...sorry Eri, but something just came up. We'll finish this another time!"

She turned, deactivating her special duel disk, and ran towards the tall figure. Eri shouted after her and ran in pursuit, but stopped when she saw who Alice had gone to see. It was that big fellow that had been with those group of humans her father had been with. Dalin shot her a glance that obviously said 'say nothing.'

She nodded, and stayed silent, watching to see what would happen. In order to avoid being seen she jumped into a tree, and lay in waiting. Her demonic hearing would enable to hear whatever was said. "Sumatin-senpai, I'm surprised to see you here. What brings you to the island?"

Without missing a beat the muscular duelist gave his reply. "I've come to inspect progress. Perhaps you could inform me how everything has been going." His expression was so impassive that even somebody who was an expert at seeing through lies probably wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

"There are a few potential recruits, and we've gathered a little bit of extra power for whatever it is that you and the leaders in the Underworld are preparing. Kodowari recently overstepped his bounds though, and stripped several duelists of their souls in Darkness Games." Dalin frowned slightly, realizing that they had been led astray by the Osiris Red duelist who was apparently in the Underworld of Dueling, whatever it was.

"Are you aware of what the young Kodowari is preparing, or has he not revealed anything to you?" Alice bowed her head in regret, unable to give him a reasonable answer to his question.

"I apologize Sumatin-senpai, but he has been reclusive so far. He refuses to give away anything, though I do believe he has his own agenda." She frowned at Dalin for a moment, as if looking for something and seeing something that she hadn't expected to see.

"If I might be so bold, I like your new hairstyle." Alice blushed faintly, and up in her tree Eri rolled her eyes. She was no judge of whether this man was good looking, but she was certainly aware he was probably about ten years her elder and obviously not interested.

"You were dueling Erika Amero I saw. Was this a casual duel, or was it for some other purpose?" Alice smiled, obviously glad to have the attention away from her previous faux pa. She glanced around, but didn't see Eri, so she returned to looking at Dalin.

"That crazy girl challenged me to a duel in order to get answers out of me. I don't know what she wanted, but she wouldn't have gotten them anyways. She was foolish enough to accept a duel in a game of my creation, and was about to lose. When she had I would have stripped her of her demonic power, leaving her weak as a kitten." Eri bit back the urge to snarl and rip the girl's throat out. She was a conniving bitch, planning that all along!

Alice paused for a moment, and then gazed up at Dalin hopefully. "Senpai...I...well...would you be willing to play my game? I want to see if I can even prove myself against a master strategist and game player such as yourself with it."

Dalin remained silent for several moments, and then glanced up at Eri without making it obvious. Then his eyes dropped back to the blonde girl who was didn't even reach his shoulder. "Very well. However, according to a special set of rules, the winner can get anything they want from the loser."

The blonde girl's eyes lit up with delight at these words, and on the inside she started to smirk. _'It's my own game, so the advantage is mine even with his great skill. If I win, then I can get a kiss from Senpai!'_

While her attentions were purely amorous, Dalin's were completely different. When he won, he would require her to without her own restraint, answer any question he asked. "I can learn as I go. Let's begin as soon as possible."

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Rikuo Amero stopped down, staring at his surroundings in this area. It was less foggy than the rest, so he could see everything fairly clearing. Most particularly he could see a certain thing that was up against a shattered tree not too far away. He could also smell two distinctive scents in the area, and one was coming from what he saw.

His eyes went dull for several seconds, and then he threw back his head and roared, his power raging out of control from his anger at the sight in front of him. All sense of self was gone as Rikuo suddenly lost himself in the blinding rage and the true demon within.

He lost himself because what was slumped against that tree was the thing most precious to him in the entire world.

His daughter.

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_Next Chapter: Duel of Hatred and Revenge; Rikuo VS..._

Author's Notes: First of all, I'd like to explain that 'Senpai' is a term that denotes respect and specifically is from a younger person talking to an elder. In this situation Alice uses it out of respect and because Dalin is her superior and elder in what they both do. Also, this chapter is just one of those start-up chapters. We get some major duelage in this next chapter.

_Review Responses_

Time Mage: No, Kodowari is not possessed by the Dark Spirit or a similar such spirit. He is a member of Underworld of Dueling as stated in this chapter, but what's going on with him won't be revealed until a little bit later. Also...Tenken will be in this story, just not yet.

John: Oh it'll work. After all, I'm writing the story, so I decide if it does or not.

Gryphinwyrm7: See, he's not so much a stalker as he is a guy who's interested in dueling someone like Davis. Now I'll just cheer on both Alternate Dimension Kensai and Davis.

G.O.T. Nick: You know what happens when you assume right? You make an ass out of yourself. ...What? You expected me to say it made an ass out of myself as well?

WolfGeneral: There's just something fun about such things. And yes, when Ryu and Dalin meet again there will be much merriment. Errr...as much merriment as those two can muster between the two of them that is.

**Original Cards**:

Eri: Behemoth of the Night(WG)

Kensai: Wandering Samurai, Warrior's Death Blow, Psycho Shocker Knight

Davis: Hero's Cause


	11. Duel of Hatred and Revenge Rikuo VS

Author's Notes: Time for Rikuo to duel.

Chapter Ten: Duel of Hatred and Revenge; Rikuo VS...

_Rikuo Amero stopped down, staring at his surroundings in this area. It was less foggy than the rest, so he could see everything fairly clearing. Most particularly he could see a certain thing that was up against a shattered tree not too far away. He could also smell two distinctive scents in the area, and one was coming from what he saw._

_His eyes went dull for several seconds, and then he threw back his head and roared, his power raging out of control from his anger at the sight in front of him. All sense of self was gone as Rikuo suddenly lost himself in the blinding rage and the true demon within._

_He lost himself because what was slumped against that tree was the thing most precious to him in the entire world._

_His daughter._

Rikuo's entire body felt like it was on fire, he felt like his mind had suddenly been seared by a hot poker. His daughter was lying at his feet, dead, and nothing would ever be the same again. Nothing.

The most horrifying part about it, was that he knew exactly whose scent it was that was mixed with hers. The scent that accompanied such violence and blood shed. The death of a demon was no easy task, and the person doing the killing would need a lot of power.

A familiar scent caught his nose, and he whirled around. Without a second thought his hand became engulfed in blue flame, and he launched himself at the other person. There was a yelp of shock, and his target managed to just barely dodge. His claws slammed into the ground, making a powerful explosion and the ground shattered.

From the impact point extended a handful of grooves in roughly claw shapes, created by his power. That was the result of his attack, and to him it was a pity he had missed. "I won't miss the next time bastard. You'll die!"

He swung again, and this time his attack was countered. A barrier of light stopped his claws, bending slightly under his strength. His eyes blazed red as he pushed harder against it, noticing the build up of power within the barrier. "DIE!"

"No!" The barrier expanded rapidly, sending Rikuo tumbling backwards. He flipped around in mid-air and landed on his feet, skidding rapidly to a halt. He paused for a moment, rethinking his strategy. Charging in blindly wasn't going to get his revenge, he had to do this right.

"What the hell is wrong with you Rikuo? Why are you attacking me?" Rikuo's target, furious at the assault, now stood with his arms in a defensive position, his fists clenched. A shimmering golden light surrounded him, and a single eye of light could be seen on the man's forehead.

"Why? That's why!" He pointed over at the tree where his daughter was, his voice dripping with hatred as he said. There was a pause as his enemy looked where he was pointed, and then finally he received a response.

Drake raised an eyebrow, and thumbed at the tree. "Dude, there's nothing there. It's just a tree. I knew you were psycho, but I didn't know you were this psycho." Rikuo's hatred flared again at these words, and his eyes blazed an even darker red color.

"I can smell your scent mixing with hers, can feel the residue of your power all over this place! You're responsible, and for that I'm gonna kill you!" Drake barely had time to even contemplate how fast Rikuo was before the demon general had crossed the gap between them and swung his fist.

On instinct alone Drake was able to raise another barrier, but the force of the blow and his hurried effort to put up the barrier made it weaker. Rikuo's fist, encountering resistance, was still able to push through, and collided with the Drake's cheek. The world seemed to explode, and Drake felt a great deal of pain all of a sudden.

He groaned and lifted his head, discovering that he was at least a dozen feet away from where Rikuo was. By the way the grass was flattened in a line in front of him, he could tell that Rikuo's punch had knocked him this far. _'He's too damned strong for me to fight him like I would another person. So if I'm gonna survive...there's only one thing for me to do!'_

Drake shoved himself to his feet and focused his mind on what resided within him. The power of his magic and that of his item pulsed in response. He let his eyes drift shut, as he drew upon the recollection of memories that were not his own, and power that he had never unleashed in this life.

Rikuo roared in hatred, fully intent on finishing Drake off with his next strike. So he attacked, claws a blaze of light, and was stopped dead when steel blocked his path and his attack. He blinked in surprise, and found himself looking right at a tall humanoid figure in black and red leather, with straps seeming to be all over his body. "What the hell?"

"Rikuo, I don't know what's up with you, but I don't have any intention to die. So I'd like to introduce you to an aspect of my very soul. My Ka, Black Magician of Chaos!" The wolf demon recognized this form of magic, magic that drew out a shadow of your very soul in the form of ancient monsters. And worse yet, he could feel the power of Drake's monster.

"Black Magician of Chaos, Chaos Scepter Blast!" Before Rikuo could even react the magician placed the end of his staff against his chest, and energy exploded against him. The energy attack hurled him backwards through several trees, and he finally came to a stop about thirty feet away.

"You killed my daughter!" His attack slashed into the magician's belly, driving it backwards. Since Drake was connected to the magician he felt it to, and jerked backwards, clutching his chest in pain.

"There's nothing there!" The magician's staff caught the side of Rikuo's head and drove him to the side. He blocked the follow up blow with his left forearm, and then violently head butted the mage.

"Nothing? Is that what you see my daughter as you bastard? I'll make you suffer for what you did!" He grabbed the staff and started pushing back against the magician's strength. The magic user was surprisingly strong, but Rikuo's brute strength was able to drive it backwards. Soon he'd have it off balance, and then he'd strike and gut it completely, leaving the opening to finish off Drake.

As the two duelists clashed, Kodowari watched with a smirk plastered on his face. He watched from a great distance, using magic to see the events unfolding. "The perfect trap as usual. The Fog of Illusion has driven Rikuo to the edges of insanity, and now he's convinced Drake killed his daughter. Now no matter who wins, both will be weakened, allowing him to step in and finish the job."

He flicked the top card off his deck and looked at it, smirking before he shuffled it back into his deck. "In the meantime I've got a very amusing show to watch. I hope the other three are having as much fun as I am."

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Farther away, at the Obelisk Blue dormitory, a lone figure stared out in the direction of the battle. Unlike Kodowari he was not aware of precisely what was happening, but he was aware that a great deal of power was being expended. _'Yet there is another power that I must see for myself.'_

He narrowed his eyes and then turned on his heel, grabbing his duel disk and deck from the desk of his dorm room. He wasn't bothered by anyone as he made his way out of the dorm, because everyone could see the look on his face and knew not to bother him.

Nobody stood in his path when he was like this.

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Rikuo snarled and wiped away a bit of blood at the corner of his mouth. That last attack had done some real damage, and he was starting to weaken. But he could see that the magician was as well, but each time it seemed to slip it was back up in no time at all. _'It's that damned necklace of Drake's. He's using its power to restore the magician.'_

A sudden thought came to mind, and he snickered. He raised his arm in the air and then snapped his fingers. Drake was startled to see the area around them suddenly recede into the darkness that now covered everything. "A Darkness Game?"

"I just realized that killing you might bring me satisfaction, but it isn't good enough. I'll win the Darkness Game and inflict a Punishment Game so horrible that you'll be suffering for all of eternity. Do you accept?" Drake paused for a moment, contemplating the situation.

'_Energy is something I can keep getting, but the problem is that while I can restore my Black Magician of Chaos, the damage it takes affects me. I've got a better chance of winning if I take the challenge then if I keep fighting.'_ Heaving a sigh of regret he snapped his fingers and his Ka vanished.

Rikuo smirked and raised his left arm, and his duel disk moved into position. "Go ahead and prepare your deck. Feel free to change out however many cards you want, because I'll be doing the same."

Drake nodded and unbuttoned his uniform jacket, letting it hang open. Inside was the spare deck of cards he had chosen to take with him, which carried a large number of extra cards he could use. Opposite him Rikuo was switching cards between decks, so Drake did the same. After about five or ten minutes both duelists were readied, and they locked their decks into place. "Duel!" (RLP: 4000, DLP: 4000)

Rikuo sneered and flared out his hand of six cards, not bothering to ask if he could take the first move. "I'll make this fast and crush your strategy. To start with I'm gonna activate a card you should be familiar with. Effect Economics!"

'_Effect Economics will allow both of us to play any sort of effect without paying the life point cost. He knows I have plenty of cards with life point payments and that I use it myself, so playing it helps me. So why play it at all?'_ He had no idea what Rikuo was up to, so he was going to have to wait.

"I set one card face down and play a monster in defense mode. Go ahead and take your turn, not like it'll make a difference." Rikuo seemed awfully cocky for the first turn, which meant he had something very big planned. Either that or he was bluffing his ass off.

"You want it finished fast? Well I'm willing to play it fast. Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600) in attack mode!" His often played golden robed magician was now on the field. With it, once three magic cards had been played, he would be able to sacrifice it to summon either Black Magician of Chaos or White Magician of Chaos.

"Skilled Chaos Magician attacks your face down monster!" A bolt of golden light shot from his magician's staff. But to Drake's surprised a large plate of steel appeared in front of that blast and deflected it, knocking a tiny part in to Drake. (DLP: 3400)

"You think I played defense just to save myself from a direct attack? Mechanical Defense Platform(0/2400) is easily able to crush any resistance you can put up against it." Rikuo's monster was revealed as a plain looking gray robot with treads rather than legs, and a massive metallic plate attached to one arm.

"I see, looks like you were well prepared. I still don't know what makes you think anything happened at all or what's wrong with you, but I do have one thing to say. This duel...it won't be like or previous ones." Rikuo raised an eyebrow, curiosity showing threw the redness that still consumed his eyes.

"This time, no matter what, there will be a distinctive winner. One of us wins, the other loses. Now, end turn!" He slid two cards onto his disk and then folded his arms, awaiting Rikuo's move. The wolf demon smirked and added the card to his hand.

"In this case we agree. But it's going to be me who walks away from this one! Sacrifice Mechanical Defense Platform for Wolf Demon Lord(2400/1000)!" The armored warrior monster version of Rikuo rose in the robot's place, holding its weapon at the ready. This was Rikuo's avatar in the game of duel monsters.

"Wolf Demon Lord, bring down his pathetic magician!" The demon howled and launched its attack at the magician. But Drake was ready, and he pressed a button on his disk. One of his two set cards flipped up, revealing a green background and the picture of a Battle Ox being reduced in size.

"My Shrink card will cut your Wolf Demon Lord's attack power in half! You demon's effect may save you from damage, but he'll be gone for good!" The demon lord howled again as he began to shrink, going from a size and power that would be dangerous, to something more akin to a little kid than an adult.

"Hey look, baby Rikuo!" Rikuo growled and thrust his hand out. Suddenly his own face down card flipped up, and energy shot out of it, striking the demon lord. Drake grimaced as Wolf Demon Lord return to his normal size and cut straight through Skilled Chaos Magician. (DLP: 2800)

"I told you that I was going to crush your strategy. All of your best cards are magic cards, and you rely on quick-plays more than one traps. A good idea when you face a duelist like me who uses Jinzo, but there are a few cards that can negate your entire strategy. For instance, my continuous trap card Imperial Order!" Rikuo chuckled darkly, his red eyes flashing in the darkness.

'_That's why he played Effect Economics! Imperial Order has an upkeep of seven hundred life points for each of his turns, so he'd quickly lose any advantage he had by paying the life points for it. Now he can prevent me from using my magic cards at no cost to himself.'_ Drake was worried, but not by too much. Imperial Order also prevented Rikuo from playing magic cards, so it was even.

"I can see by the look on your face that you think my having Imperial Order in play means I can't play magic cards. Well rules are just meant to be broken, so I activate the continuous magic card: Impervious Magic Shield!" Drake grimaced once again, as he recognized the card Rikuo had just played.

"Impervious Magic Shield can be played no matter what, and as long as it's in play the activation and effects of your magic cards cannot be negated. It has an upkeep cost just like Imperial Order...but you negate that with Effect Economics. Nice combo, I'll just have to break it down." He grinned confidently, but inside he didn't quite feel it. He had a few ways to break the combo, but all but one relied on magic cards.

"Don't act so damned cocky, that's my job. I've already planned ahead, and soon enough I'll have you crushed and get to inflict my punishment for your crimes! Till then, my turn ends." He slipped another card onto his duel disk and that was all.

"Whatever Rikuo, I'll act how I want. One monster in defense, and then back to you." Rikuo raised an eyebrow in amusement at how Drake was unable to really play anything. It seemed like without his magic cards Drake couldn't do anything.

"My first move for my turn is the excessively played but incredibly useful Pot of Greed." He slid two cards off his deck and into his hand, frustrating Drake. The magician duelist glanced at his hand and the familiar green smiling pot that he had there. But his was useless with Imperial Order active.

Rikuo looked at his two new cards and smirked, flipped them both around to give Drake a good look at what he had in store. "I'm sure you recognize these cards. But if you had forgotten, here's a refresher course. Lord's Ascension takes any monster with 'lord' in it's title and evolves it to a higher level. So I'll reintroduce you to Wolf Demon Avatar(5500/3000)!"

Drake kept his face blank, even as the massive wolf demon formed in front of him. He had faced this thing down and beaten it before, but this time he had no magic cards to work with, and he had beaten it with a magic card the first time around. _'It's the combination of it and the other card he drew that worries me.'_

"I can see the fear that you're hiding, and I can see why it's there. After all, why wouldn't you be afraid that I'm going to combine my avatar with my other card? So be afraid, since I am going to. Activate Howling Sword!" The massive demon now gripped a phantom sword in his massive claws, and its power kicked in.

"You probably remember my Legendary Weapon's effect. First it adds one thousand points to my monster's score, and then it doubles it! So Wolf Demon Avatar(13000/3000) is now stronger than anything you could possibly imagine!" Although Drake still wasn't making any facial responses, his right fist was clenched tight enough that he could feel the scars on his palm.

"I've still got a card to play, so I summon White Cyber-Wolf(1000/1800) who when normal summoned lets me special summon Black Cyber-Wolf(1800/1000) from my deck!" A white robotic wolf and a black robotic wolf now flanked the gargantuan demon, giving him more support than Drake liked to see.

"My monster's tough enough to withstand your attacks, I can guarantee that." Rikuo smirked and motioned towards his Black Cyber-Wolf. The mechanical wolf approached him, and Rikuo patted it on the head.

"Black Cyber-Wolf, prove him wrong. Crush whatever monster he set on the field." The wolf nodded and the jumped straight onto Drake's face down card. A blast of dark energy shot the wolf back to it's original spot, and Rikuo's sensitive ears detected the sound of life points falling. (RLP: 3800)

"Sunset Magician(1300/2000) is strong enough to repel your monster's attack. Not only that but I get to draw since he was involved in battle with another monster. Told you he could defend me." Rikuo snarled and motioned for another attack. Wolf Demon Avatar slashed the Howling Sword and a blaze of phantom energy blew Sunset Magician away.

Drake drew another card, and then braced himself for what was about to come next. "White Cyber-Wolf, attack him directly!" Drake clenched his teeth as metallic claws slashed across his chest, drawing four lines of blood. The pain wasn't as big a problem as the life point drain either. (DLP: 1800)

"Looks like you got lucky with that strong defense monster, but don't count on that again. Soon you'll be finished. So take your turn." Drake grimaced, knowing that even with extra cards he was in trouble. Not only couldn't he use magic cards, but he was in trouble because there was no monster he had that was stronger than Wolf Demon Avatar.

"Still not much that I can do. For now I set one card face down and play Chaos Apprentice(1600/1300) in defense mode. End turn." A blue skinned teenager with black and red leather and buckles now stood in front of Drake, looking for all the world like a miniature Black Magician of Chaos.

"Feh, that monster is nothing. Black Cyber-Wolf will rip it in two!" The machine wolf's claws did indeed tear the monster in half, but the pixels of its remains didn't just float around and fade. In fact, they began to reform completely.

"You activated Chaos Apprentice's effect by destroying him in battle! Now I special summon Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600) in defense mode!" The adult form of the recently destroyed monster now crouched in front of Drake with arms crossed in front of its chest. With it's defense power it wouldn't be easy prey for any monster outside of Wold Demon Avatar.

"Fine! Howling Sword!" The blast of energy stopped short as Black Magician of Chaos reached out and touched Drake's newest face down card. Suddenly a massive tube appeared on its shoulder, and the energy of the attack began to collect in it.

"My Magic Cylinder trap card will take your attack and fire it straight at White Cyber-Wolf! With as much power as your Wolf Demon Avatar has the attack will finish you off completely!" Rikuo smirked and snapped his fingers, and suddenly the tube shattered, spraying energy over Black Magician of Chaos and destroying it.

"You think I wasn't prepared? Order of Royalty is a continuous trap that is a special version of Royal Decree. As long as it's in play all traps are negated besides my Imperial Order. Now that I've gotten past your defenses, for the second time my remaining wolf attacks!" A second set of claw marks was slashed across Drake's chest, and he was driven to his knees by the force of the attack. It also left him with just a measly handful of life points left. (DLP: 800)

Rikuo folded his arms and sneered down at Drake, the Wolf Demon Avatar copying the motion. "This is pathetic. I thought you were a real opponent, but it looks like when I know your strategy ahead of time you can't really fight back now can you? It'll only took a few more turns before I get my revenge for your actions."

'_He's right...I'm getting my ass kicked here. The only damage I've managed to do to Rikuo was just overflow from his own attack, and I don't even have a thousand life points to work with. I can't use traps, I can't use magic, and no monster that I can summon is strong enough to defeat Wolf Demon Avatar. He's got me in a real bind.'_ But he also couldn't afford to lose, because it would be his end if he lost.

He snapped another card off his deck, and one glance told him all he needed to know. "You've seen quite a few of my Unity Magicians, but here's one you've never seen before. Hell Spell Striker(2200/1500) in attack mode!"

A tattooed magician in red and black robes was now Drake's newest monster. It held a staff of pure obsidian, that ended in a skull at the very top of it. Rikuo raised an eyebrow in surprise at the stats. "Twenty-two hundred attack points? And that thing doesn't need a sacrifice?"

"Hell Spell Striker can't attack directly under any circumstances, so feel lucky. So it's time to go down in a blaze of glory. Hell Spell Striker, attack his White Cyber-Wolf!" The deadly hellish mage raised his bone staff and jets of fire launched from the skull's eyes, consuming White Cyber-Wolf in deadly energies. (RLP: 2600)

"According to my monster's effect, whenever I destroy another monster in battle I get to add a monster from my deck to my hand, making it perfect for a deck with Unity Magicians. The monsters taken by this effect cannot be summoned in the turn they enter my hand, not that I could summon again anyways." He flipped through his deck and finally settled on a monster, which he added to his hand.

"No traps, no magic, so I have to use monsters. But no single monster in my deck can defeat Wolf Demon Avatar. I guess that means my turn is over." He sighed and waited for Rikuo to take his turn, and bring the duel into what looked to be its final phase.

"Pathetic and desperate move Drake, which makes it just that much easier to beat you. Wanting to go down in a blaze of glory huh? Wanted to at least say you managed to deal a little bit of damage to me before succumbing to my superior power. Pathetic!" He drew and didn't even bother to look at it. Instead he pointed at the Hell Spell Striker with his clawed finger.

"Wolf Demon Avatar, nuke his puny creature. Howling Sword!" Drake closed his eyes, awaiting the attack that was ever nearing his monster. On the other end of the field Rikuo was smirking, savoring the last moments of the duel before he could get his revenge.

"I just wanted to let you savor what it was like to feel like you were about to win, and I hope you have, because I'm about to use the power of magic to undo your entire counter strategy!" Rikuo's eyes widened as Drake raised a card from his hand over head.

"Witness the power of real magic. Go, Kuriboh Magician(300/200)!" Rikuo sweat-dropped as a little furball with a magician's hat and a tiny little wand in hand appeared on the field in front of the incoming attack. It seemed to be chanting, only every word was 'Kurii'

"What kind of crap is this? Kuriboh Magician?" Drake smirked and shoved the Kuriboh Magician's monster card into his cemetery slot, and the little fellow on the field turned into blue energy which spread over the field.

"I can discard Kuriboh Magician from my hand at any time to allow me to activate magic cards with complete impunity for the duration of the turn. That includes from my hand!" The demon growled as Drake's face down card flipped up, revealing a towering totem pole with speakers implanted into it.

"Command Silencer means your monsters can't attack me, and I get to draw a card!" The shrieking noise was painful, but Rikuo pushed through it, waiting to see what Drake's next move would be. The magician duelist slid a card off his deck, then took another card from his hand and activated it.

"Pot of Greed to draw two cards. And now, here's the power you let me unleash. Bonds of Brothers, with a negated cost thanks to Effect Economics. And here comes Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400) and Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900)!" The two unity magicians now stood on his field, one on either side of the Spell Striker.

"Instant Effect lets me turn my monster's effects from spell speed one this turn, into spell speed two. So I'll use my magicians and blow away all of your monsters!" A combined stream of energy blew apart Wolf Demon Avatar and Black Cyber-Wolf, leaving Rikuo with just his magic and trap combination.

"Next I'll get rid of the potential threat of your combo by activating Magician's Storm! Since I have a spellcaster in play I can destroy every magic and trap card on your field!" A barrage of electric bolts shrieked across Rikuo's field, destroying each of his cards in turn. Soon he was left with a completely empty field, compared to Drake's three monsters.

The wolf demon snarled and looked at the two cards in has hand. "You broke my combination, but I'm far from finished! I set these two cards face down and end my turn!" Now two cards were all that separated him from Drake's monsters and a potential defeat. The tables had suddenly turned.

Drake smirked and pointed straight at Rikuo, with no monsters to block the path. "Sadly I can't afford the effect of my magicians, but I will blow you away. My two Guardian Magicians attack directly!"

The two magicians fired their attacks, only to have a blue barrier spring up in front of it. "You casually walked into a trap, kind of reckless of you Drake. Mirror Force!" The energy reflected backwards, becoming three separate beams. Each one collided with a different magicians and blew it away.

"I guess I was being overly reckless. I set a monster face down and two cards as well." He sighed and finished his turn, knowing he had lost the best opportunity he would ever have of ending the duel. Had he not activated Magician's Storm in his previous turn Rikuo would have still had his trap negating card in play and Mirror Force would never have been used.

The moment Rikuo saw his next card, he was smirking. "You're in trouble now Drake. I bet you've never faced an opponent who can top deck as well as you can, so let me show you what it's like. Card of Demise!"

Drake mentally groaned at seeing Rikuo get so many more options to work with. This would change the flow of the duel again. "This is easy enough. Mystical Space Typhoon on that right face down card!"

A gust of wind shattered his trap, which was briefly revealed as Mechanical Magic Mirror. Rikuo narrowed his eyes, and then glanced at some of his own cards. Finally he started to smirk again. "If I've guessed right this duel is about to get funny. I activate my face down card, Reverse of the Reverse!"

"This trap card lets me activate one face down card on your field for myself. So let's see if I guessed correctly!" Drake's card flipped up, and revealed it to be the quick-play magic card Grave Sifting. Rikuo had indeed guessed correctly.

"The most likely card to combo with Mechanical Magic Mirror. Well now I use Grave Sifting, and I'll move Card of Demise from my graveyard to yours!" He threw the card to Drake, who shoved it into the cemetery slot of his duel disk. Now the first step of Rikuo's combo was ready.

"I set two cards face down and then play Double Spell, and discard a magic card from my hand to activate Card of Demise from your graveyard!" Once again he drew five cards, giving him even more options to work with. Things were starting to look bad for Drake yet again.

"Now I activate Soul Exchange and offer your set monster for Jinzo(2400/1500)! I'll also activate my face down equip card, Amplifier to make Jinzo's effect apply only to your side of the field!" Drake slid his Sage of Unending Darkness into the graveyard, and watched as the anti-trap king hit the field. He was just lucky Rikuo had no battle phase this turn.

"Since I don't have a battle phase, my turn is over. Use your free turn wisely if you can." He smirked and folded his arms, confident in his chances. After all, Drake didn't have that much to work with, and once again traps for the duelist were totally useless.

In the distance Kodowari was watching, a smirk still plastered on his face. "Watching those two face off against each other is so satisfying. Sooner or later one of them is going to lose, and from what I can see right now it's going to be Drake. I couldn't care less, but it's certainly fun to watch."

He leaned forwards, enjoying every moment of the duel, all of Rikuo's anger and all of Drake's uncertainty. "Go on Rikuo, kill your friend, kill him without ever realizing his innocence! Kill each other for my amusement and for my gain! To hell with it, just kill each other!"

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_Next Chapter: Duel Montage Pt. 1_

Author's Notes: Yep, Rikuo vs. Drake once more.

_Review Responses_

Time Mage: Alice isn't necessarily clueless, see she doesn't really know Dalin very well she just admires him and basically has a school girl crush on him. Most of your other questions have been or shortly will be answered

John: Actually, I sort of envisioned Alice as Shinobu during that scene, so it was kinda funny for me to write it.

Gryphinwyrm7: Davis and Asriel are pretty well fleshed out, so I wouldn't have been able to pull them off as well without your work. So the credit there goes to you. More Kensai vs. Davis in the next chapter.

G.O.T. Nick: Yeah, having a crush on someone does tend to make you act like an idiot around them.

WolfGeneral: Actually, Eri is totally fine. As you can see, it's just an illusion.

**Original Cards**:

Rikuo: Effect Economics, Mechanical Defense Platform, Impervious Magic Shield, Wolf Demon Lord(WG), Lord's Ascension(WG), Wolf Demon Avatar(WG), Black Cyber-Wolf(WG), White Cyber-Wolf(WG), Howling Sword(WG), Order of Royalty

Drake: Skilled Chaos Magician, Sunset Magician, Chaos Apprentice, Hell Spell Striker, Kuriboh Magician, Instant Effect, Magician's Storm, Grave Sifting


	12. Duel Montage Pt 1

Author's Notes: A lot of dueling here.

_**Chapter Eleven: Duel Montage, Pt. 1**_

"_First with his dying breath my Dark Blade(1800/1600) will destroy D.D. Assailant!" A spectral Dark Blade shot out of nowhere and ran his blade through D.D. Assailant's chest. Both warriors shattered into pixels and were gone. (DLP: 3900)_

"_No...since my assailant is gone Mataza loses eight hundred of his attack points!" Kensai nodded, and then pointed straight at the offending monster which was still loitering around on his side of the field._

"_Now the dying spirit of my Psycho Shocker Knight(2400/1500) attacks Mataza!" A tall warrior in black and green armor rose up in front of Mataza and casually backhanded him aside. The two were scattered into the winds, and the damage was done. (DLP: 3600)_

_Asriel watched with a grimace as her husband's life points suddenly were wide open for even the most casual attack. The worst part was, she knew what was coming next. "Since you have no more monsters on your field my Strike Ninja's ghost may attack you directly!"_

_The spectre that had once been Strike Ninja moved out from behind Kensai. It then hurled a dagger at Davis, striking him in the stomach and driving him backwards. He grimaced, but kept his ground even as his life points took a drop. "I'm not out yet!" (DLP: 1900)_

"_I never claimed you were, but you'll be hard pressed to recover from that little fiasco. Especially since anytime I remove a Strike Ninja from play I'll be removing three warriors total, since there isn't a single non-warrior in my deck. This is the strategy that has granted me many a victory. Show me if you can overcome it." Davis nodded and took two of his cards, which he slid into his duel disk._

"_I'll do that very thing. But I hope you can show me that you have more strength than just one simple strategy, otherwise I won't be happy with this duel. So far it's been a lot of fun, but it's only been four turns. That means it's bound to heat up." The two duelists faced off, each with a happy smile on their face because of the enjoyable duel they were having. Each one a warrior in his own way. _

Kensai smiled slightly and slid two cards from his hand into his own disk, activating their effects. "My two magic cards will supply me with the monsters I need to finish you off! Go, Bury the Dead and Foolish Burial! Combined that sends four monsters from my deck to my grave!"

He searched quickly through his deck, and then slid the four cards into his graveyard. After that he reshuffled and returned his deck to its normal position. "With these monsters in my cemetery, this duel has reached its final turn as far as I can see. Now, I activate the effects of Strike Ninja! Smoke Bomb!"

The ninja hurled a silver sphere against the ground, and for the second time in that duel smoke clouded the view of the ninja. "Things aren't the same this time Kensai, take a look as your ninja's smoke screen fades away!"

Davis' words rang true when the smoke drifted, revealed the Strike Ninja standing still exactly where he had been before. It was also looking around in confusion, trying to figure out what had happened. "What did you do?"

Taking a moment to flash a thumbs up at Asriel, Davis motioned to one of his two cards. It was now face up, and showed a Dimensional Warrior standing outside a solid metal wall. "I used my trap card, Seal the Gateway. Until my standby phase neither player can remove monsters from the game for any reason, which seals the power of your Warrior's Death Blow."

"Impressive, but I'm hardly finished. Freed the Brave Wanderer will start my assault on your life points!" The blonde headed warrior jumped straight towards Davis, swinging his sword as he went. But he was halted before he got there by a glowing barrier between him and Davis.

"And he runs headlong into my other trap, Mirror Force!" Kensai grimaced as his four monsters shattered and became dust in the wind. Now each player had one card face down, and no monsters on the field whatsoever.

"I can't do anything else, so it's your turn Davis." Kensai readied himself for a coming attack, and Davis took the chance to draw a card. He grinned and showed it to Kensai, revealing a grinning green pot. The magical Pot of Greed.

"First I trigger Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down card!" A gust of wind emerged from his card and headed straight for Kensai's set, only to suddenly drift to the side and blow away Warrior's Death Blow. Davis' eyes widened in surprise, seeing his attempt to clear the field of dangers gone.

"Don't you know that just like any other pack the Supreme Duelist Series has five cards in it? Each one is a one of a kind, and therefor extremely rare. Well one of the other cards from the pack I received was called Know Your Enemy, and it can be played from my hand to change the target of an opponent's attack or effect to another legal target. So I just let you destroy my other trap." Kensai slid his magic card into the cemetery, leaving his hand barren and his field almost completely empty.

"That's fine with me, because I've got a combo that's just screaming out to be used. First step is to summon a favorite of mine, a monster that was discarded for my Hero's Cause. Monster Reborn calls back Dark Magician Girl(2000/1700)!" The blonde spellcaster did a twirl, and winked at both duelists, smiling prettily.

Kensai didn't react to this at all, he merely stood there and waited. There was a time when this might have affected Davis, but he had been married for quite a while now, and had a daughter, so that sort of thing no longer affected him. "Now I'll bring out her mentor, by revealing my final face down card. Sage's Stone!"

The other duelist nodded, recognizing it. "That lets you special summon Dark Magician(2500/2100) to the field if you already have Dark Magician Girl on the field. A nice bluff that worked well for you." Davis nodded, and the Dark Magician appeared on his field. Dark Magician Girl winked at him as well.

"Thanks, but it gets better. See, every magician spends a lot of time training to perfect his or her skills at magic. After a certain point they reach the height of those skills and become something more. Do you know what happens if Dark Magician reaches that level?" Kensai nodded, folding his arms to await the coming move.

"He becomes the Dark Sage(2800/3200). But it isn't possible to summon Dark Sage without successfully activating the effect of a Time Wizard(500/400) first. The odds of that are less than fifty-fifty, and if you try it now you could lose all your life points." Davis grinned and picked up the last card in his hand, letting it hover right in front of his duel disk, waiting to play it.

"There's always another way to do anything in Duel Monsters, even summon the Dark Sage. In fact, here's my method. I activate Sage's Council! By sacrificing a Dark Magician on the field I can instantly special summon the Dark Sage(2800/3200)!" An energy warp surrounded the purple clad magician, and a thousand years suddenly passed by.

The light faded, and the Dark Sage was revealed. He wore similar robes to the Dark Magician, had a thick oaken staff, and a trimmed gray beard. He was floating in a crouched position to Dark Magician Girl's left. "His effect instantly adds a magic card from my deck to my hand, so I now activate Card of Sanctity!"

Both duelists drew the appropriate number of cards, and from the slightly disappointed look on Davis' face, Kensai suspected the other duelist was looking for something in particular. "I have a question. Why didn't you use your Sage's effect to add a removal card to get rid of my single face down card."

"Because I don't have Heavy Storm in this particular deck at the moment, so Mystical Space Typhoon was my only magic card capable of destroying magic and trap cards. But I'm fine with that, since I've got a great hand. For instance, the magic card Apprentice's Devotion!" Dark Magician Girl knelt on the ground, and tears dripped from her pretty face.

When the tears impacted, light erupted from beneath her, and suddenly the Dark Magician appeared. Dark Magician Girl squealed with joy and jumped up to hug him tight. "Apprentice's Devotion activates if a Dark Magician Girl is in play and a Dark Magician is in either cemetery. I can then special summon that Dark Magician back into play."

"Now I summon Mystical Elf(800/2000) and activate Pendant of Balance to summon Dark Elf(2000/800)! These two aren't really needed, but they're back up in case you can recover. My three other magicians will attack you directly!" The magician's charged up and fired, creating a triumvirate of magical energies.

"I activate Release of a Warrior's Burden! This removes all warriors in my cemetery from the game if I am being attacked directly. Not only does it negate that attack, but it increases my life points by five hundred for each removed!" His cemetery slot spat out all of its monsters, and he fanned them out, revealing a combined total of eight cards. (KLP: 12000)

"Looks like you've got the life point advantage now, but I've got field advantage. So we'll see if you can make it to the next turn. I set two cards face down, and that's all."

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Kai groaned and sat up. He wasn't in the fog anymore, and instead he was next to the sea, with a dock not to far away. "Good to see you up. Prep your duel disk and your deck, because you and I are going to duel."

He blinked and looked around, his eyes finally settling on a figure leaning up against a tree about twenty feet away. Because of the shade of the tree Kai couldn't get a good look at him. "Why should I duel you? Obviously you knocked me out, so what's my incentive to duel?"

"Kodowari told me you people were strong duelists, well I'm a fairly high ranked duelist in the Underworld of Dueling, making me strong as well. I always enjoy a duel against a strong opponent, and when I win I'll get whatever I want from you. The same could be said if you won." Kai narrowed his eyes, and then stood, ready to duel. It was worth it to get some answers. (KLP: 4000)

"I'm ready. Who exactly are you anyways?" The shadowed figure stepped out, revealing a teenager of about sixteen or seventeen in a Ra Yellow uniform. He had unruly black hair, and dark brown eyes, but there was something about him that was frighteningly familiar. If you changed the hair to a redder color and made the eyes violet, he could pass for Drake's brother, or maybe a cousin.

"The name is Masue, and I'll be going first. So let's get this started!" He grinned in a cocky fashion that also reminded Kai of Drake, and fanned out his six cards. A quick inspection told Masue what he wanted his first move to be. (MLP: 4000)

"I'll start us off simply by setting one quick-play magic card face down, and a monster in defense mode. Your turn." Kai had no idea what to think so far. He couldn't tell if Masue was just stupid, or whether he was lying about the type of card he had set. It didn't make sense to reveal it.

"So be it! I summon Skilled Light Magician(1900/1700) and have him attack your set monster!" A magician in white robes with silver streaks appeared in front of him, and then immediately fired off a bolt of magic at the set monster.

"I told you it was a quick-play. Weakening of Attack is the quick-play version of Negate Attack." Kai nodded, not bothering to mention the magic counter that his monster had just gained. He'd let Masue know about those when the time was right, which it would be quite soon.

"Two cards face down, and then it's back to you." His cards shimmered and took shape in front of him, ending his turn. He still had no idea what Masue's style of dueling was, and he was still slightly creeped out by the similarities between Masue and Drake.

"Bah! Skilled Light Magician? Looks like you're just an average duelist after all, and here I was hoping for something spectacular. End Turn." He slid a card onto his disk and that was all, leaving him with four cards in his hand. He was playing pretty defensively, so Kai was left uncertain on what action to take.

"If you think I'm gonna be bluffed out then you're wrong. I activate and then sacrifice my face down card, Magical Energy Production Device. Each turn it's on my field it gains one magic counter, and when I sacrifice it I can play those magic counters on one target. So I place both onto Skilled Light Magician!" His trap shattered, and then two orbs of light joined the first on Skilled Light Magician's outfit.

"Now I sacrifice Skilled Light Magician and his three counters to summon Light Magician(2500/2100) in attack mode!" His monster was completely identical to the Dark Magician, only its robes were pure white and not the distinctive purple of Light Magician's counterpart. Unlike his counterpart, Light Magician was an effect monster.

"I'm still not at all impressed. Show me something worth my time already!" Kai nodded and took another card from his hand. He slammed it down on the disk, and a young looking magician in black and red with bluish hair now stood next to Light Magician.

"Silent Magician(1000/1000) is the right monster for the job. Especially when I activate Joint Charity, making us both draw three cards and discard two!" Both duelists did so, Kai's hand staying the same size and Masue's increasing by one. At the same time Silent Magician grew taller and more powerful, hitting twenty-five hundred attack.

"Now I activate Light Magician's effect and remove Joint Charity from the game to activate it again! Since you just drew another three cards, Silent Magician's attack power rises to a massive four thousand!" Masue nodded and then discarded the two cards he wanted to get rid of. Kai didn't mind that Masue had two new cards, because he had gotten what he needed as well.

"Light Magician, attack the set monster! Light Magic attack!" The magician raised his staff and a beam of white light shot out from the end. Masue smirked and watched calmly as the energy beam struck his monster...and then bounced back, sending an electric surge throughout Light Magician's body.

"Time to reveal my strategy! You just attacked a monster that cannot be killed in battle and comes with a shocking effect. It is Shock Plated Armor(1000/1000), and the monster that battles it cannot attack for two turns afterwards, but my armor dies at the end of the turn it is attacked!" A red chest-plate floated in front of Masue, electricity crackling through it.

'_Armors? I remember Drake once mentioning something about a set of monsters called Armor monsters. He said they were powerful, but he never really explained what they did. So I have no idea what to expect.'_ Kai glanced at his Silent Magician, knowing that attacking with it at this point would be fruitless.

"I set a card face down. End." That one word seemed to be the key, and according to it's effect Shock Plated Armor shattered, leaving nothing on Masue's field but the face down card he had chosen not to use.

"So far you haven't impressed me, and I haven't even unleashed any of the real strength of my Great Armor Deck! Before long you will crumble beneath the power of Masue Ihachi!"

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Kirani narrowed her eyes, uncertain exactly how to respond to the person standing in front of her. Her opponent had wild blonde hair, sticking out at strange angles all over his head. Not only that, but his gray eyes were filled with a look that spoke of a lack of complete control over mental faculties. "And why am I here again?"

"To duel me of course! I want to have a little fine by dueling a powerful person such as yourself, and of course I can also win the duel and if I do then I get to take whatever I wish from you while at the same time the same thing applies to yourself and oh by the way I hope you're ready to begin because I am!" Kirani blinked, barely managing to absorb everything he said. She was pretty sure most of that had been one sentence.

"Right...I suppose I'll do it, I'm in the mood for a duel after all. Just...tell me your name...and try to do it slower." She slid five cards off the top of her deck and started up her spiffy new duel disk, ready to get the show on the road. (KLP: 4000)

"Me, I'm Vance Yeomens, Ra Yellow student and member of the Underworld of Dueling at your service my pretty lady who is about to be my opponent!" He grinned in a manic sort of way, and triggered his own duel disk, drawing six cards to start it off. (VLP: 4000)

'_Vance Yeomens huh? When Kodowari said he was off-color I didn't know he meant the guy acts like he's eaten a bath tub full of sugar for each meal.'_ She shook her head in slight amusement and waited to see just what this guy was capable of doing. It didn't look like she'd have to wait long, because he was already jumping into action.

"For my first great move I'll summon this amazing little creature which you can't tell what it is yet because I'm going to be putting in face down defense mode to conceal its true identity and its effect from your prying and curious eyes!" Kirani felt a slight twitch start to develop in her left eye, and hoped that she could finish this duel quickly. He was already giving her a headache.

He stood there, waiting and smiling for several seconds, bouncing back and forth from foot to foot. It was only after watching his antics for nearly a minute that Kirani realized that was all he was going to do for the turn. "Just a monster? Fine with me. Draw!"

Her hand was a decent start, and she'd make do with it. "Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650) comes out to play and he attacks your face down monster!" The muscular creature hurled its spear at the face down monster, which was revealed briefly as a thin squirrel before it was destroyed.

"You just killed my precious little Sugar Glider known as Nimble Momonga(1000/100) who increases my life points by one thousand when destroyed in battle and lets me summon the other ones from my deck in face down defense mode so I'll grab both from my deck and throw them in defense mode just like the effect says!" Two more face down monsters appeared, keeping Kirani from making any progress. (VLP: 5000)

She grimaced and set a card face down, allowing him to take his own turn. He looked at the card briefly, and then slid it into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Sugar Rush, which activates whenever one of my monsters is destroyed in battle and grants me a bonus of five hundred life points and when I gather enough of a bonus from this card another special effect will happen that you'll just love and that's all for my turn!"

Kirani's eye began to twitch even faster, and she felt a dull throb in the back of her head. If she didn't finish this guy off fast she'd have migraine in just a few turns, and she still only had one real playable monster. "I start off with Different Dimension Capsule, which lets me take a card from my deck and remove it from play. On my second standby phase after activation it will open and give me that card."

A golden coffin now stood face up in front of her, awaiting the moment that it would be opened. "I set a monster in defense mode, and then I have Kaiser Seahorse attack another Nimble Momonga." The monster was blown away with little defense, and its ability and Sugar Rush's ability both kicked in. (VLP: 6500)

With nothing else to do, Kirani completed her turn, giving control over to Vance. The sugar hyped duelist looked at his new card and immediately played it on the field. "I set a single monster face down in order to conceal its special ability and identity just like I did with Nimble Momonga and then my turn is over!"

With a deep breath and the desire for a quick victory, Kirani drew, bringing her one turn closer to the opening of the capsule. "Gilford the Swift(1400/500) in attack mode!" Her rapier wielding monster joined her spear wielding one, and both of them readied their weapons for an attack.

"Each of my monsters attacks one of yours!" A quick slash and the stabbing of a spear eliminated both face down monsters. One was the last Nimble Momonga, further raising Vance's life points and the other was suddenly replaced by another face down monster. (VLP: 8500)

"You flipped and then destroyed the incredibly dangerous Spear Cretin(500/500) who lets each of us either special summon a monster from our graveyard in attack mode or in face down defense mode so I got a monster in face down defense and you got nothing because you had no monsters in your cemetery whatsoever and is your turn over?" Kirani groaned and nodded once, giving him another chance to prolong the duel with more irritating cards and his irritating manner of speaking.

Vance looked at his six card hand, and then smiled. Finally he took three of the cards and turned them around so he could show them to Kirani. She grimaced as she recognized them. "I play Shallow Grave, Shallow Grave, and Shallow Grave, all in total allowing me to revive three monsters from my cemetery in face down defense mode and getting you nothing just like with Spear Cretin because you have no monsters in the graveyard!"

'_Now this fast talking idiot has his three Nimble Momongas back and his Spear Cretin. If I attacked a Momonga on accident first then he'd be able to use Spear Cretin's effect and revive that same Momonga again. No matter what happens it would mean more life points for him...if I didn't have my capsule card.'_ She smirked, barely registering that Vance had set a card face down on the field and was once again bouncing from foot to foot.

She drew, and then the capsule opened, allowing her to take the previously removed card and add it to her hand. That was all she needed, and now was her time to shine. "I'll bring out the card I removed by sacrificing Kaiser Seahorse and Gilford the Swift. Kaiser Seahorse counts as two tributes for a light monster, meaning Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) will get to use his effect!"

Her mighty warrior descended onto the field, and slashed his sword in a sweeping arc. A powerful bolt of lightning shot down from a suddenly appeared cloud above them. But instead of blowing away all of the monsters, it shattered Vance's face down card. "I knew you chose Gilford the Lightning so I set my Sugar Substitute trap card which can absorb a destruction effect into itself and when it is destroyed I gain an additional five hundred life points!" (VLP: 9000)

"Oh to hell with it! Gilford the Lightning attacks one of your monsters!" Her warrior swung his sword and cleaved a monster in half. To her annoyance it appeared to be a Nimble Momonga, meaning he was about to gain even more life points. (VLP: 10500)

"Next I activate Lightning Strikes Twice, letting Gilford attack once again!" Gilford didn't return to her side of the field, and instead slammed his foot down on the monster to his right. There was a cry of pain, and Spear Cretin briefly showed its face before vanishing. (VLP: 11000)

A face down monster appeared on Vance's field, but Kaiser Seahorse appared on Kirani's field. Since it was her battle phase still, she was far from done. "Kaiser Seahorse attacks the newly revived monster!" Her monster's spear did the job, and though Vance gained more life points, he was also left with only two monsters. (VLP: 12500)

Vance smiled slightly, and glanced at his Sugar Rush card. So far it had granted him thirty-five hundred life points, and he was just one more step away from getting its true ability to activate. "I play Pot of Greed and then follow it up with Magic Shard Excavation discarding two cards from my hand to take back and replay Shallow Grave!"

Kirani nodded, putting a monster down on her own field. She was pretty certain that he had set Spear Cretin, giving him a total of three monsters and the potential of four. That could save him from her attacks even if she managed to up her total of attack worthy monsters to four. "Guess it's my turn again. I draw!"

She grinned when she saw exactly the card that she had drawn. It would mean that she didn't need to summon a new monster, because she had what she needed to make it work. "I activate the incredibly rare and incredibly powerful Raigeki to destroy all of your monsters!"

Vance looked astonished as all three of his monsters blew apart, none of them able to use their effects. "You gain fifteen hundred life points because of your Sugar Rush card, but you also have an open field. So now I flip up Gilford the Swift(1400/500) and attack you directly with each of my monsters!"

The three attacks smashed into Vance's body, and he dropped to his knees. But he was still looking up with a big idiotic grin on his face, and looking hyper as ever. It didn't seem like anything short of a divine act could stop him from being hyper. "You aren't really finished, but at least I knocked you down a notch or two." (VLP: 8100)

To her surprise Vance only began to laugh, and as he drew his card, his demeanor seemed to change. He was still goofy and hyper, but there was something deadly about it. "Now that I've managed to have Sugar Rush absorb four thousand life points I can activate its delayed effect, that of a special ritual to summon my ultimate creature which only requires that I give up eight levels of monsters to summon it."

He slid the two cards in his hand into the graveyard, and then snapped his fingers, looking highly amused as his Sugar Rush shattered into nothingness. "Now I sacrifice Sugar Rush to unleash upon you my ultimate beast of doom, the mighty Super Mega Ultra Hyper Dynamic Sugar Man(?)!"

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Alice had created special duel disks just for this game, as it appeared she was quite adept with machines as well as programming. She had also used her program to allow him to scan his deck and produce analogues of his cards for her game. Only three cards hadn't had entries in her system, and he swiftly removed them. Her system couldn't later the god cards anyways.

"Let's get started! You'll be going first, so I hope that's okay!" Alice activated her special disk, and then to Dalin's slight surprise drew seven cards. Taking note of this the angel duelist did exactly the same, noting the difference in his cards from regular Duel Monsters cards. He also glanced at his disk and saw the point total. (DLP: 8000, ALP: 8000)

"I draw" He was stopped when the disk flashed, showing him the display for an illegal move. _'No draw for the first player. Very well, let's see what I have to work with.'_

He scanned his cards, and saw that though they were like his actual deck by name, the actual cards were different. He decided to try his luck, and placed a monster in his monster zone. Once again the disk flashed, declaring it to be an illegal move. _'I'll have to wait and see how she handles summoning before I can it would appear.'_

He moved a card from his hand in an attempt to set it face down, however his disk again beeped and declared it to be an illegal move. He frowned slightly and lifted his disk to inspect it. A thought crossed his mind, and then he began to smirk. "I see, I know what sort of system this is."

Alice's eyes widened in shock, never expecting him to come to a conclusion that fast. He hadn't even watched her make a move and already he was coming to understand this style of dueling? _'I knew senpai was good, but I didn't realize he was this brilliant!'_

"If I have surmised correctly, your game runs on a style known as a 'Mana' system. In such a style of game each player can only use cards by paying for them in what is called Mana, which are gained by charging certain types of cards. I assume like other such systems one is only allowed to charge one per turn." Alice nodded in amazement, shocked that he was figuring it out so quickly.

"Since I have guessed correctly, I assume it is safe to charge this card as mana. Venus, Angel of Creation becomes my mana! According to the effect you have given it, since I charged it as mana instead of the three Holy Shine Spheres coming to the field, they are also automatically charged as mana!" He took the three from his deck, taking note of a number of the cards in his deck before charging them in his mana zone. Now four balls of energy were glowing up above his head, meaning he had four mana to work with.

"Next, according to the mana style of playing I will tap all two of my mana to pay the cost of summoning Neptune, Angel of Emancipation(17000/0)!" Two balls of energy vanished, and his angel was summoned onto the field in front of him. But it looked somewhat uneasy on its feet.

"My creature looks sick...therefor I surmise that you are using a rule that was once used in an old card game. In that game most monsters who were summoned suffered from summoning sickness, which prevented them from attacking the turn they were summoned. Since I cannot attack, my turn is over." Alice stared at him with wide eyes, unable to believe what she had just seen.

'_I'd say it was impossible...but I just saw it with my own two eyes! He just unraveled several of the basic rules of my game with minimal effort! Senpai truly is the ultimate duelist!'_ Dalin raised an eyebrow as Alice clapped her hands together and held them to her chest, a dreamy look in her eyes as she stared off into the distance.

'_I couldn't possibly accept being with another man, no man can measure up to Sumatin-senpai! I'll prove myself to him by giving him a difficult duel, and win or lose I'll come out of this ahead. So get ready senpai, because Alice is gunning for you!'_

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_Next Chapter: Death-Match; The Demon and Drake_

Author's Notes: Not much to say really.

_Review Responses_

Time Mage: More on Kodowari's plans in the next chapter, and the Obelisk Blue guy will be revealed in the second part of the Duel Montage.

John: Nope, they won't tie. It's difficult to come up with a tie that isn't forced and unoriginal. This duel will definitely have a distinctive winner.

Gryphinwyrm7: Oh yeah, that whole two of the same person in one universe thing will come into play later on.

G.O.T. Nick: Yes indeed. Also, the difference in this situation is that as Rikuo can smell the two scents and feel the powers, so it seems real, as opposed to just seeing something happen. To him, it seems like he has proof.

Adriel: NOOO! Not McDonalds! As for who is at the academy, lots of people, like Griff, Hitokage, Eri, Adriel, Kenshin, and so many more. Although I don't know all who are there.

WolfGeneral: I'm still trying to figure out how that duel will work out.

**Original Cards**:WGWolfGeneral, TMTime Mage, GGryphinwyrm7

Kensai: Bury the Dead, Warrior's Death Blow, Know Your Enemy, Release of a Warrior's Burden

Davis: Seal the Gateway, Sage's Council, Apprentice's Devotion, Pendant of Balance(G)

Kai: Skilled Light Magician, Magical Energy Production Device, Light Magician(TM), Joint Charity

Masue: Weakening of Attack, Shock Plated Armor

Vance: Sugar Rush, Sugar Substitute, Super Mega Ultra Hyper Dynamic Sugar Man(no I'm not kidding)

Kirani: Gilford the Swift, Lightning Strikes Twice

Dalin: Neptune-Angel of Emancipation


	13. Death Match Rikuo vs Drake!

Author's Notes: A lot of dueling here.

_**Chapter Twelve: Death-Match; Rikuo VS Drake!**_

_Rikuo narrowed his eyes, and then glanced at some of his own cards. Finally he started to smirk again. "If I've guessed right this duel is about to get funny. I activate my face down card, Reverse of the Reverse!"_

"_This trap card lets me activate one face down card on your field for myself. So let's see if I guessed correctly!" Drake's card flipped up, and revealed it to be the quick-play magic card Grave Sifting. Rikuo had indeed guessed correctly._

"_The most likely card to combo with Mechanical Magic Mirror. Well now I use Grave Sifting, and I'll move Card of Demise from my graveyard to yours!" He threw the card to Drake, who shoved it into the cemetery slot of his duel disk. Now the first step of Rikuo's combo was ready._

"_I set two cards face down and then play Double Spell, and discard a magic card from my hand to activate Card of Demise from your graveyard!" Once again he drew five cards, giving him even more options to work with. Things were starting to look bad for Drake yet again._

"_Now I activate Soul Exchange and offer your set monster for Jinzo(2400/1500)! I'll also activate my face down equip card, Amplifier to make Jinzo's effect apply only to your side of the field!" Drake slid his Sage of Unending Darkness into the graveyard, and watched as the anti-trap king hit the field. He was just lucky Rikuo had no battle phase this turn._

"_Since I don't have a battle phase, my turn is over. Use your free turn wisely if you can." He smirked and folded his arms, confident in his chances. After all, Drake didn't have that much to work with, and once again traps for the duelist were totally useless. _

Drake closed his eyes for a moment, and then drew without seeming to pay attention. "You may have me on the run, but I'm far from being finished. And your own monster will defeat itself right now!"

He snapped his card around, and revealed a Double Spell. Then he opened his eyes, and slid his Double Spell and another card from his hand into the grave. "I'll thank you for the use of Card of Demise, allowing me to draw till I hold five just like you did!"

In one motion he drew four cards, and then snapped them out so he could see them all. "Thanks to your efforts Jinzo is finished! I activate Absolute Control, and seize control of Amplifier!"

Rikuo frowned as the brain implant lifted off Jinzo and floated over to Drake's field, just floating useless in front of him. "Keh, what do you think you can do with Amplifier? It only equips on Jinzo, so all you've done is prevent me from using my traps."

"Oh really? I'm sure you're aware of Amplifier's weakness, and I'm about to exploit it. I'll do it with this next magic card!" He slid it into his duel disk, and the holographic image was created. It was a magic card with what looked like military food rations on it.

"You know quite well what Emergency Provisions does, so I'll use its effect and send Amplifier and Absolute Control to the graveyard! Since Amplifier was equipped to Jinzo, Jinzo says farewell!" The android shuddered and then exploded, getting it off the field. At the same time the two cards that Drake had sacrificed also exploded. (DLP: 2800)

"Do you really think that defeating Jinzo changes anything? If you do, come and try to attack me!" Drake sighed and threw a card down on his disk. A red robed magician, similar to Sunset Magician, now stood in front of him.

"Sunrise Magician(2000/1300) will do quite nicely. Whenever it deals life point damage I get to draw a card, but that's not what's important. Sunrise Magician, Sun Flare!" The magician cast out his hands, and a ball of light charged there. Then it hurled it pitcher-style, the flames arcing straight towards Rikuo.

"Are you really that stupid as to think I bluffed? Sakuretsu Armor!" The flames vanished in a puff of smoke, and then Sunrise Magician shattered into a million pieces. Drake's only monster had failed in its efforts.

"So be it. I set this card face down, and end my turn." The brown backed card was now all that stood between Rikuo and Drake, but luckily Rikuo only had one face down card and no monsters, along with a relatively small hand.

Rikuo smirked and lay his newest card onto his own disk, causing a long-armed machine to form. "Mechanical Chaser(1850/800) should do just fine. Attack him directly!" Drake grinned and triggered his face down card.

"Magician's Circle lets both players special summon a magician from their deck to the field, but since you have no magicians I'm the only person who benefits!" His grin faded as his trap was pricked like a soap bubble and vanished. Then the chaser's arm extended and slammed into his chest, hurling him backwards. (DLP: 950)

"Your trap was worthless thanks to Remove Trap. Now all those life points you gained to destroy Jinzo are gone. You've only got one card in your hand, so make it count why don't you? Set one card face down, and end turn." Drake's fists balled up as he considered his options. His single card might not help him out right now, so he had to hope for a good draw.

He glanced at his new, and then he slowly started to smile. "This should do quite nicely. Demon Magister(1900/700) in attack mode!"

A humanoid figure in pitch black robes shimmered and appeared. Based on the obsidian staff in the figure's hand it was obvious it was a spellcaster, but what gave it its name were the two curved horns extending from its head. "This is a spellcaster? Looks more like a demon to me, don't tell me you've suddenly switched types?"

"Hardly. Demon Magister may have that name, but overall he's still a magic user. Demon Magister, attack Mechanical Chaser!" The magister snapped his staff down in an arc, and a metal blade extended from it. The blade sheared straight through the Mechanical Chaser, blowing it into tiny little pieces. (RLP: 2550)

"Keh, what a useless play. I'll recover no matter how hard you try to defeat me, and I'll get my vengeance." Drake scowled at the demon's comment and slid the final card in his hand onto his duel disk. It was time to find out whether Rikuo was bluffing about that or not.

The wolf demon drew, and after a single glance at his face down card he knew what to do. "Keep trying to win while you have the chance. X-Head Cannon(1800/1500) in defense mode! End turn."

Drake narrowed his eyes and then drew, not quite sure what to make of it. At a casual glance it seemed like Rikuo was just playing defensively, but he was so confident that it was hard to tell. "Demonic Magister, destroy his monster!"

The blade slashed through it, and it vanished in a flash, leaving Rikuo with only a single set card on the field. "One card face down, and that's all."

Rikuo smirked at whatever he saw when he drew, and then immediately placed one of the two cards in his hand onto his duel disk. "Y-Dragon Head(1500/1600) in defense mode. Then I set one card face down and end my turn."

'_Oh yeah, he's definitely up to something. I'll only draw it out of him if I really go on the offensive.'_ He drew, and then just like Rikuo he played his card instantly. Upon doing so a magician in white robes was summoned to the field.

"White Magic Summoner(1200/500) in attack mode. Demonic Magister will blow away Y-Dragon Head!" A single strike of a blade and Y was gone. Drake narrowed his eyes, readying himself for a chain at any moment. When nothing happened he felt confident enough to risk another attack.

"White Magic Summoner, attack him directly!" The magician raised his arms over head, and a dragon appeared above him. The dragon shot a jet of flame at Rikuo, but at the last moment Rikuo's set card flipped up, and armor launched itself out and attached to Demonic Magister.

"Attack Redirection Armor now sends the attack straight at your Demonic Magister!" The flames turned in mid-air and aimed for Demonic Magister. The half-demon magician raised his left arm, palm out, and stopped the attack in mid-air. It vanished in a puff of smoke, and the magician retaliated by cutting down his magician companion. (DLP: 250)

'_He could have used his trap when I attacked with Demonic Magister and accomplished the same thing, so why wait till after I killed Y-Dragon Head? Whatever he's up to it has to do with sending his monsters to the grave'_ With nothing else he could do, Drake's turn was over.

Rikuo slid his newest drawn card into the cemetery, and an angel appeared above him. Rays of light rained down on his field, landing on his deck. "Graceful Charity's effect you probably remember, so I'll just discard Machine King and Z-Metal Tank(1500/1300)."

"Now, it's time to reveal my plan! Open face down card, Rise of the Machines! Since my magic card has been on the field for a total of three turns I get to revive three machines. So rise up, X-Head Cannon(1800/1500), Y-Dragon Head(1500/1600), and Z-Metal Tank(1500/1300)!" The three pieces of the machine were now together on the field, and Drake knew exactly what that meant.

"You've fallen right into my trap, so say goodbye to the last of your life points! My three monsters combine themselves together into XYZ-Dragon Cannon(2800/2600)!" Each of the three united, creating a massive behemoth of power. One of the strongest and deadliest machines in existence, with an effect that easily made up for the difficulty of summoning it.

"I'll discard the remaining card in my hand to destroy your face down card and leave you defenseless!" The combination machine launched a missile which collided with Drake's set card and blew it to pieces. Drake gritted his teeth and stood his ground against the force of the blow.

"Not so fast Rikuo! I chain the other card I had face down! Reveal Protection of the Destined, which will keep my monsters and myself safe for this turn!" The second card flipped up, and a barrier of blue light surrounded Drake and his monster. Now even XYZ-Dragon Cannon couldn't get past.

"Keh, run all you like, I'm not bothered. Next turn I'll blow away whatever other defense you have with my machine's effect. Till then, it's your turn. Consider it your last." The former general sneered and tapped his clawed fingers against his duel disk, eagerly awaiting the moment when he could strike again.

Drake glanced down at his deck, knowing that if he didn't draw something good right here and now that he was finished. He had one card face down, and no hand. Now he was going to have to pull off an awesome top-deck, or he was finished. _'Well, here goes nothing.'_

He felt a pulse the moment he lifted the card off his deck, and when he flipped it up so he could see it, he knew why. This was one of those moments where a duelist had to test themselves. "I remember that during our last duel I tried to find out which of us had a stronger destiny. Well, it's time to try the same experiment!"

His field zone opened up, and he slipped his new card into it, and then it closed. Suddenly the area around them became dotted with stars and lights, forming a curving pathway through the darkness above them. "My field magic card Destiny's Way will be the proving ground for that, so now I activate its effect and pay two hundred life points!" (DLP: 50)

"By paying two hundred life points your field card lets each of us draw only one card. You really think you can top deck towards victory while blowing all but your last fifty life points? Name whatever type of card you want, it won't change anything." Drake snapped his fingers, and the field around them started to glow green.

"Like usual, I think I'll name magic. So, let's see what destiny has in store for each of us!" At the same time both duelists drew, and to Drake's relief a scowling Rikuo was forced to slide his card into the cemetery. Then he let his eyes drift shut, not quite ready to look at the card he had drawn.

"Quit cowering from your destiny and show me what it is! Play your card already so I can finish you off!" Drake nodded and held the card up. Rikuo grimaced as he saw the image on it. The card had a green background, so Drake had drawn the magic card he needed. Worse yet was the man on the card raising his arms in praise of the golden coins that were following down upon him.

"Card of Sanctity! Now draw your six cards Rikuo!" They each drew six, and Rikuo's eyes narrowed at what he saw. Drake took note of this, and wondered if it was a good draw or a bad one. Then he too narrowed his eyes and broke out laughing.

"Looks like this card was perfect for the situation if my math was correct. I sacrifice Demonic Magister for Black Sorcerer(2200/2000)! Not just that, but when Demonic Magister goes to the cemetery I gain its attack as life points!" A black robed man with no staff was Drake's newest monster, who stepped up at the same time as energy flowed into Drake's body. (DLP: 1950)

"Now I set three cards face down and end my turn!" Rikuo snarled and drew, giving him a total of seven cards. Suddenly a ghostly hand erupted from his cemetery, and snatched his entire hand away, dragging it down to the grave. His eyes flashed a darker red, and he turned to Drake for an explanation.

"That's why I thought it was perfect to have drawn Card of Sanctity. See, five turns ago you activated Card of Demise, so just now its secondary effect forced you to discard your entire hand." With no cards in his hand and three cards between him and Black Sorcerer, Rikuo felt it best to end his turn rather than run into a trap.

The moment Drake drew a card, a ghostly hand exploded from his own graveyard and dragged his hand into the cemetery. "Of course I suffer from the same side effect this turn. By the way, had you attacked you would have succeeded in draining six hundred of my life points. Since you didn't, I think it's time to end this duel!"

He tapped a button on his duel disk, and one of his three face down cards flipped up. "Activate Play of Rebellion! This card forces one of your own monsters to turn traitor and attack you directly! XYZ-Dragon Cannon, finish him off! Hyper Destruction!"

The mechanical monstrosity turned towards Rikuo, and then launched a massive beam of energy at the wolf demon. Rikuo just scowled and braced himself, using his bare hands to halt the attack. When the energy faded his palms were scorched, but he was otherwise fine. "Don't think I'll die so easily!"

His graveyard spat out a card, and he held it up, revealing a monster card depicting a turtle. "My Super Electric Turtle easily blocked your attack, and it went to the grave thanks to Card of Demise's effect. Your attempt failed pathetically."

"Nobody said I was done Rikuo. Face down equip card open! Ghost Medallion equips to my Black Sorcerer and removes him from play, keeping him from defending my life points. In exchange he gets the ability to attack directly. So, strike now!" The now ghost-like sorcerer fired a silver ball of energy at Rikuo, which exploded across the demon's chest and forced him backwards. (RLP: 350)

"According to Black Sorcerer's effect I now want you to discard a trap card from your deck to the cemetery." Rikuo searched through his deck before finally settling on a card. Once he was finished discarding it, his focus was back on Drake completely.

"I'm done for now. Your turn Rikuo." Drake stood there calmly, awaiting whatever move Rikuo could make. He knew what he could do, and he knew what he was going to do. It was only a matter of time really before the end of this duel came one way or another.

Rikuo growled deep in the back of his throat, and slid his drawn card immediately into the cemetery. "By discarding my Repayment of Losses card to the cemetery I not only get to draw a card, but I get to destroy your last face down card!"

A powerful barrage headed straight for Drake's final set card, but the magician duelist was ready. "Open face down card, Mystical Space Typhoon! I'll use it to destroy Ghost Medallion and return Black Sorcerer(2200/2000) to the field!"

"That only saves you from oblivion! Hyper Destruction now!" A powerful beam of energy burned apart Drake's sorcerer, also draining Drake's life points somewhat. The leftovers of the energy blasted Drake off his feet, and burned away half of his Obelisk Blue jacket. (DLP: 1350)

"You destroy Black Sorcerer, and luckily for you I have no cards in my hand, so I can't bring out White Sorcerer. However, since you killed him you have to remove the top three cards of your deck from the game." Rikuo nodded and shoved his three cards into the graveyard, then slid the one card in his hand onto his duel disk.

Drake let out a deep breath, and then slammed down his newest card. "Monster Returned lets me bring back Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600) from out of play! And according to my magician's effect I get to add a magic card from my grave to the hand."

"Card of Sanctity!" The two duelists swiftly drew their six cards, giving them more options to work with. Drake took a single glance at his new cards, and new exactly what to do.

"Prepare to feel the wrath of my strongest monster once again! I play Chaos Fusion from my hand, and fuse Black Magician of Chaos with White Magician of Chaos to unleash Supreme Sage of Balance(4000/4000)!" A towering being of pure light formed in front of him, its light pushing back the darkness of the Darkness Realm around them.

"I summon Twisted Spellweaver(1800/400) and offer it to Supreme Sage of Balance, and then remove White Sorcerer in my deck from the game as well. This raises my sage's total points to sixty-six hundred! But I'm far from done!" Two spheres of light entered the Supreme Sage of Balance and its size grew somewhat.

Rikuo scowled as his opponent's monster raised in power. He knew this creature could easily reach massive heights of power. "Now I activate Offering of the Soul! I can remove monsters in my hand from the game for any effect, plus I gain five hundred life points for each one. So I remove three, gaining fifteen hundred life points! Each of them is a level four!" (DLP: 2850)

Three spheres of light went into Supreme Sage of Balance, and once again its power rose and so did its size. "Supreme Sage of Balance(7800/7800) has now absorbed a total of five monsters, which means it becomes a divine type and gains all of a divine type's immunities!"

"Time to activate a special ability! Supreme Sage of Balance, bring me back a magic card by removing a monster in my grave from play!" Hell Spell Striker appeared and then vanished, and then a magic card appeared in Drake's hand. He flipped it around, revealing Card of Sanctity.

"I get to draw six cards, but you get nothing!" He snapped six cards off his deck, and fanned them out, ready to get to using them. He scowled slightly, having hoped for something more, but this would have to do.

"Considering my monster has the immunities of a god, I think I'm safe to attack. Supreme Sage of Balance, attack XYZ-Dragon Cannon. Purifying Touch!" Light erupted around the machine, but suddenly a box appeared in the path, and it cranked open. A boxing glove shot out from it and collided with the sage's chin. No damage was done, but the light faded.

"Distraction Device can negate the attack of ANY monster, even a divine type. So your attack is a failure! You finished?" Drake slid three cards onto his duel disk, and then finish his nodded, declaring the end of his turn.

Rikuo sneered, showing his fangs. He had exactly what he needed. "I activate Mechanical Breakdown, which lets me sacrifice XYZ-Dragon Cannon to return each of the separate pieces to the field!"

XYZ split apart, and each of the separate monsters was now on the field. "Next I play Joy of Tribute, which allows me to gain life points equal to the attack power of each monster I sacrifice this turn."

"Oh by the way, Mechanical Breakdown and Joy of Tribute each cost a card from my hand, so I might as well take care of that now." He slid the two cards into his graveyard, leaving him with three cards in his hand and his three monsters on the field.

'_He's preparing for something big, I can feel it. An enormous power is lurking within his hand...so full of rage...what in the world could it possibly be?'_ Drake felt a chin run down his spine as Rikuo took one of the last three cards in his hand and held it up. With the power of the Millennium Disc, Drake was able to see a terrible aura surrounding it. A power different than anything he had ever faced before.

"Meet your demise! I sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon Fenrir-Destroyer of Gods(4000/4000)!" The darkness around them seemed to howl with rage as a massive black wolf reared its head. From muzzle to the tip of its tail Drake had to estimate that the beast was just shy of a hundred feet long, and it was a definite match in size for his Supreme Sage of Balance. (RLP: 5150)

"You're gonna wish that you never turned your monster into a divine type, because when summoned Fenrir removes one divine type from the game and adds that creature's attack to his own!" A black aura surrounded Fenrir as it roared, and Supreme Sage of Balance was torn apart by the pure force of that roar. Drake grimaced as Fenrir's power rose to a massive eleven thousand eight hundred points.

"Since you removed Supreme Sage of Balance from the game you saved me from the effect caused when it is destroyed. Now my out of play pile and cemetery are shuffled back into my deck, as are yours!" The two duelists did what was needed of the effect, and now what remained was Fenrir and the three cards between it and Drake.

"Fenrir, Black Inferno's Roar!" A stream of black flame streaked towards Drake, but was suddenly intercepted by a rainbow colored barrier. The flames faded, and the rainbow light shot down into Drake's duel disk and the numbers rose. (DLP: 14650)

"My Mirage Magic quick-play card negated your attack and added Fenrir's attack to my life points. So I have to thank you for that one." Drake smirked and snapped his hand of cards together. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets and waited for Rikuo to declare the end of his turn.

"Bah! You think negating my attack finishes my turn? I activate Renewed Efforts, which can only be played when a monster of mine has its attack negated! Now it gets to attack again and gains a bonus of one thousand attack points!" The black flames collided with a golden barrier formed by Drake, but the strength was so great the barrier broke and he was hurled back a dozen feet, his clothes and skin somewhat burnt. (DLP: 1850)

"Fenrir awaits his next morsel, so go ahead and take your turn. Nothing you do can stop his assault, so I set this one card face down and end." Just like that he had emptied his hand and unleashed a creature capable of crushing gods with a single strike. Once again the advantage was all Rikuo's, and all Drake had to work with was three cards in his hand and two on the field.

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Kodowari smirked and settled back against the tree, a smug look on his face. The duel between Rikuo and Drake was accelerating and he was getting to enjoy every moment of it. "With the skill and intensity that those two are playing at no matter who wins both will be completely exhausted and unable to continue."

His gaze traveled down to the duel disk on his arm, with deck inserted. "The loser will be easy prey for my deck, and then I'll gain their power. With the strength granted to me from that I can accelerate my progress. And the best thing is, nobody can stop me!"

He shuddered, imagining what it would be like to possess the sort of power that those two had. "Oh yes, once their power is mine nothing will be able to stand in my way. I'll cut down every foe in my path and gain what I have long searched for. Ultimate power!"

Before his very eyes the view of the ongoing duel expanding, taking in various other duels. Masue was facing down that Kai fellow, while Vance was facing Kirani, and Alice was facing off against Sumatin. "Wait a moment...where's that girl? Rikuo's daughter, where is she right now? If she wanders into the area of the darkness game Rikuo will sense it and know she's still alive! It'll ruin my plan!"

He expanded his senses, seeking out the girl's presence. If he could find her then he could confront her and get her out of the way for good. Doing so would also grant him her power, and that was always a positive thing. "I'll crush her the second I find her!"

Power crackled around him as he sought out her presence, and suddenly he felt something strange. His energies as they searched for her had just touched a void, something similar to a black hole. He couldn't sense anything in that one spot. "What is this? The touch of my power is nothing to this thing...my power is drawn inwards!"

The strange void seemed to be approaching, and knowing that he couldn't truly touch it with his power he drew back, keeping himself away from it. "How could anything do that to my power? What sort of beast is capable of taking in all of my power!"

Kodowari dropped down from the tree, landing in a crouch. He lifted his head, and found himself facing a teenager in a solid blue uniform. An Obelisk Blue underclassman. "You? Get the hell out of my way, I'm not in the mood to deal with your cocky attitude."

He moved forwards and attempted to brush by the taller boy, but when he pushed against the other boy he felt a hand latch onto his wrist. His blue eyes widened as he felt the power that still crackled around him drawn away and into that hand around his wrist. _'I feel so cold...'_

He turned his head in fear, and found his blue eyes met by cold and calm jade eyes. "What are you! Don't touch me!"

In his mind's eye, he could see all that this boy was. This was the black hole for his power, this was the thing that he couldn't touch with his magical energies. "I am myself. I am Hitokage Seijitsu, and I know exactly what I am. The question is, what are you?"

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_Next Chapter: Duel Montage Pt. 2_

Author's Notes: Yeah, more plot to be revealed. I know it seems weird to have Hitokage involved, but I have a good reason for it, and he won't be involved for that long anyways.

_Review Responses_

Time Mage: Actually, Alice's game is based on Magic: The Gathering. Duel Masters itself is intended to be a blend of Yu-Gi-Oh and M:TG, however Alice's is a truer blend. I'm sure Kirani isn't happy about your laughing at her pain. Maybe she'll kick Kai in the crotch...

John: I know! I know! It's Tool Time!

Gryphinwyrm7: I will need some of those texts later, but not quite yet. I thank you for the information that Nimble Momonga is a Sugar Glider, as it helped me construct Vance's deck.

G.O.T. Nick: Vance may be funny, but it's killing me to write the guy. His speech pattern is incredibly irritating to write.

Adriel: That's pretty much what I did...

WolfGeneral: I just really felt like doing it. As for...Sugar Man(I don't even want to write the name), it is a crazy monster.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Drake: Absolute Control, Sunrise Magician, Demon Magister, White Magic Summoner, Protection of the Destined, Destiny's Way, Ghost Medallion, Black Sorcerer, Monster Returned(WG), Chaos Fusion, White Magician of Chaos, Supreme Sage of Balance, Twisted Spellweaver, White Sorcerer, Offerings of the Soul,

Rikuo: Rise of the Machines(WG), Repayment of Losses, Distraction Device(WG), Mechanical Breakdown, Joy of Tribute, Fenrir-Destroyer of Gods(WG), Renewed Efforts


	14. Duel Montage Pt 2

Author's Notes: Duel Montageness!

_**Chapter Thirteen: Duel Montage Pt. 2**_

"_Now I summon Mystical Elf(800/2000) and activate Pendant of Balance to summon Dark Elf(2000/800)! These two aren't really needed, but they're back up in case you can recover. My three other magicians will attack you directly!" The magician's charged up and fired, creating a triumvirate of magical energies._

"_I activate Release of a Warrior's Burden! This removes all warriors in my cemetery from the game if I am being attacked directly. Not only does it negate that attack, but it increases my life points by five hundred for each removed!" His cemetery slot spat out all of its monsters, and he fanned them out, revealing a combined total of eight cards. (KLP: 12000)_

"_Looks like you've got the life point advantage now, but I've got field advantage. So we'll see if you can make it to the next turn. I set two cards face down, and that's all."_

Kensai snapped up a card, and then burst out laughing. "Prepare yourself! Since I have more than seven monster out of play I can activate this magic card, Chaos End! Now all monsters in play will be destroyed!"

Davis grimaced as a powerful vortex swept across the field, blowing away each of his hard earned monsters. "Now I summon Command Knight(1200/1900) and according to the effect of Wandering Samurai I can special summon a second Command Knight(1200/1900)!"

Asriel's eyes widened as the two female knights hit the field, and energy flowed between the two of them. "Watch out Davis! Remember, those two boost each other's attack points by a total of eight hundred, and they create an attack lock!"

"The girl knows her warriors. Now, Command Knight the first attacks you directly!" Davis closed his eyes briefly, and then pressed a button on his duel disk.

"Go, trap card! Grave Chain activates, and lets me discard one card from my hand to play a trap from my cemetery. So I discard the last card in my hand to activate Mirror Force!" The shining blue barrier blocked the knight's attack, and she was thrown backwards.

Kensai narrowed his eyes and slammed a card from his hand into his duel disk. "I play Overcoming Boundaries from my hand, which lets my monsters avoid destruction for this turn. However, the first knight's attack is still negated. But the second one will continue with a direct attack!"

Davis frowned and glanced down at his set card. He snapped his arm out and the card flipped face up. "Activate trap, Reckless Greed! This lets me draw two cards at the cost of my next two draw phases!"

He snapped two cards off his deck, and then immediately threw one into his cemetery. "I discard Kuriboh(300/200) to negate the life point damage of your attack!" The blade slammed into his shoulder and drove him to his knees, but he was still in the duel.

"That was a lucky draw, but now you're stuck with just that one card in your hand for the next two turns. There's no way you can win like that. For now I set one card face down, and now it's your turn."

Listening to the whispers of the power within, Davis held up the card in his hand. He lowered his eyes and then placed the card onto his disk. "I set this one monster face down. That's all I can do."

Kensai slapped down his own newly drawn card, and a dark armored monster wielding two scimitars appeared. Then an identical monster appeared next to it. "Dark Blade(1800/1600) and his brethren both appear. Now, Command Knight will attack your set monster!"

The female knight charged and slashed her blade down on the monster. It shattered, and then reformed as what looked like some sort of plant. Kensai's eyes went wide as he realized what it was. "Fiber Jar(500/500)! That means that the duel is reset!"

"That's right, so shuffle up and draw your new hand." The two duelists complied with the card's effect, but Kensai was at a disadvantage since he had already summoned during this turn. He frowned at what he saw.

"I activate D.D. Borderline. This continuous magic card prevents either player from having a battle phase for as long as I don't have any magic cards in my grave. End Turn." A ripple in space and time appeared between them, preventing any form of attack.

Since he still had no draw phase, Davis had to work with what he had. But that wasn't going to be a problem. "I summon Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700). Then I activate Pot of Greed. Then Research on the Pot of Greed to draw two more!"

In quick succession he slid four cards off his deck, pumping his hand size up to six cards. Then he slid one of them onto his duel disk, and a burst of wind shattered the borderline. "Mystical Space Typhoon eliminates your continuous magic card, clearing the way."

Kensai's eyes widened as he counted the magic cards that had just been played. He knew what was coming next. "I sacrifice Skilled Dark Magician and his three counters to summon the Dark Magician(2500/2100)! But he'll be gone soon, because I play Polymerization!"

Davis held up Buster Blader(2600/2300) and the two monsters merged as one in a vortex of energy. The monster that emerged wore magnificent armor and had a bladed staff in his hand. "Meet Dark Paladin(2900/2600)! He attacks you directly!"

Dark Paladin slashed directly into Kensai, knocking him backwards. The damage was great, but Kensai could see by the look on Davis' face that it wasn't over yet. "Go quick-play magic card, Defusion! This breaks down Dark Paladin into his base parts, who attack you directly!"

Dark Paladin's form shifted, and Buster Blader and Dark Magician appeared on the field. Buster Blader slammed his sword against Kensai, while Dark Magician used its Dark Magic Attack to blast Kensai off his feet. "You wanted my power? Well that's my strength. I set one card face down and end my turn!" (KLP: 4000)

Kensai drew and placed the card on his duel disk. "One monster in defense mode. End turn."

Davis drew for the first time in two turns, and then immediately tossed the card onto his duel disk. "D.D. Warrior Lady(1500/1600) in attack mode. Now she attacks your set monster!"

A ghostly reaper appeared and swept down on Buster Blader, hacking the mighty warrior in half. "Night Assailant(200/100) has a flip effect that destroys one monster on the field. So your Buster Blader fell prey to it."

"You're still going to feel my strength! Dark Magic Attack!" Another energy assault drove Kensai back and dropped his life points by more than half. However, the warrior duelist still didn't seem to have been hurt very much. (KLP: 1500)

Kensai drew and then he began to laugh. "It's here...the power that will undo you. I activate the magic card Painful Choice!"

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"_Time to reveal my strategy! You just attacked a monster that cannot be killed in battle and comes with a shocking effect. It is Shock Plated Armor(1000/1000), and the monster that battles it cannot attack for two turns afterwards, but my armor dies at the end of the turn it is attacked!" A red chest-plate floated in front of Masue, electricity crackling through it._

'_Armors? I remember Drake once mentioning something about a set of monsters called Armor monsters. He said they were powerful, but he never really explained what they did. So I have no idea what to expect.' Kai glanced at his Silent Magician, knowing that attacking with it at this point would be fruitless._

"_I set a card face down. End." That one word seemed to be the key, and according to it's effect Shock Plated Armor shattered, leaving nothing on Masue's field but the face down card he had chosen not to use. _

"_So far you haven't impressed me, and I haven't even unleashed any of the real strength of my Great Armor Deck! Before long you will crumble beneath the power of Masue Ihachi!"_

Kai didn't even blink at this declaration. _'So Kodowari was deceiving us huh? This guy is the same Masue 'Hitachi' that he mentioned, yet his name is in reality Ihachi. He's related to Drake somehow...'_

Masue smirked and held his hand out in front of his cemetery slot. A card shot out of it, and he threw it down onto his duel disk. "One of the cards I discarded when you played Joint Charity can be special summoned to the field in attack mode during each standby phase that it's in the grave. So meet Psychic Armor Head(0/500)!"

A blue helmet with a black visor shimmered into play, floating in mid-air. Kai frowned, unsure of exactly what the weak monster was capable of other than that. "Now I activate my face down card, War Path! This destroys all set cards in play and deals their owners two hundred damage each!"

A massive tank trundled forwards, tromping over the two set cards on Kai's field. He grimaced as his defenses crumbled and his life points took a slight dip. "Four hundred damage is hardly going to win you the duel." (KLP: 3600)

"Maybe not, but I have other methods. First of all, I sacrifice Psychic Armor Head for an armor that is one of my personal favorites. Inferno Blade Armor(0/0)!" A full body armor appeared, but unlike the helmet this armor was blood red, and had strange extensions at the top of the gauntlets.

To Kai's surprise the armor flew down and snapped onto Masue's body making him one with the armor. He smirked and raised both fists, and suddenly sharp blades appeared from the extensions. "Inferno Blade Armor's special effect is a deadly one, because when it attacks a monster damage calculation is negated and the opposing creature dies. So here I come!"

He sprinted across the field and sliced straight through Silent Magician. The blue haired magician exploded into dust, leaving just one monster left on Kai's field. "Now since I destroyed your monster you have to discard one card from the top of your deck for each level of the monster I killed."

Kai discarded four cards since his monster was a level four. "Now I set two cards face down and end my turn."

The magician using duelist took a quick measure of his hand, and chose his method. "I set one monster in defense mode and place one magic or trap card face down. End."

Masue smirked and snapped his fingers, causing Psychic Armor Head to reappear. "I'll sacrifice my armor once again to summon Plasma Armor(0/0) in defense mode!"

A second full body armor appeared, only this one was vibrant yellow in color. It also had a large energy pack strapped to its back. "This monster will prove useful for later. Until then...I attack Light Magician!"

One swing was all it took to destroy the magician. Kai growled in frustration and slid seven cards off his deck and into the cemetery. That Inferno Blade Armor was going to get really annoying really quickly. "My turn, draw!"

"I summon Effect Breaker(1600/1000) in attack mode. Upon being summoned he gains a magic counter, which raises his attack by three hundred. That's all." The breaker monster held his sword up high, and awaited any assault to come his way.

"Bah, that's nothing! First Psychic Armor Head returns. Then I summon my own breaker, Breaker Armor(0/0) whom I remove from play to remove your set card from play as well!" The jet black full body armor appeared, grabbed hold of Kai's set card, and then vanished completely.

"Here I come! Say goodbye to Effect Breaker!" Kai shook his head as Masue charged towards him, and then snapped his fingers.

"He's called Effect Breaker for a reason. Now, remove your magic counter and do your stuff!" Effect Breaker charged in to meet Masue, and his sword slashed into the red armor. Masue's eyes widened as the blade struck his chest and threw him back across the field, shattering his armor. (MLP: 2400)

"That was reckless of you. Effect Breaker can remove his counter to remove one monster's effect completely. So I just removed Inferno Blade Armor's effect and you recklessly slammed a normal monster with zero points into a monster with sixteen hundred." Masue snarled and folded his arms, standing behind his Plasma Armor.

Kai drew and then threw his newly drawn card onto his duel disk. Then he slid another card into it. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior(1900/1000) and I also play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy one of your sets! Then Breaker removes his counter to destroy the second!"

Masue grimaced as his two face down cards vanished in a flash, leaving him with two weak monsters, one of whom was in attack mode. "Effect Breaker will bring down Plasma Armor!"

The moment his monster's sword hit the armor, it exploded spraying energy and fumes all across the field. Both duelists fell to their knees, grabbing their stomachs in pain as the energy and fumes seeped into their skin. Masue pushed himself back to his feet and offered an explanation. "When Plasma Armor is destroyed I take seven hundred and fifty damage, while you take fifteen hundred." (KLP: 2100, MLP: 1650)

"I'm fine with that. Breaker will attack Psychic Armor Head!" The red armored magician tore through the defenseless blue armor, and with it significantly damaged Masue's life points, leaving him with barely even a handful remaining. (MLP: 50)

Masue frowned, and then he drew, smiling as Psychic Armor Head returned. "You're strong, I'll give you that. But you're out of your league against me! Prepare to face my full power in the form of the ultimate borgman! Go, Armored Gravitation!"

Kai stared in horror as one by one blue armor pieces began to appear on the field. First a right arm, then a left, then a pair of legs, and finally a chest plate. "My monsters come together with me in order to form a warrior of undeniable strength! I am the Borgman(0/0)!"

He now stood completely covered by the blue armor, and looked like a futuristic soldier. "My chest plate known as Activate Guard can protect me from damage...so it's time to end you with a move that has crushed many of my opponents. I'll destroy you with Big Bang Blow(0/500)!"

He raised his fist and then launched across the field. Kai frowned, and then made a slashing motion with his left arm. "Breaker, counterattack!"

"Not good enough!" To Kai's horror the powerful fist slammed into Breaker and ripped his armor apart, and then Masue continued charging. That fast flying fist struck Kai in the stomach and blew him backwards, sending him tumbling end over end for dozens of feet.

Masue's armor suit shattered into a million pieces, and then he shook out his fist. He stared at the fallen Kai and smirked as energy flowed into his body. "When Big Bang Blow is destroyed in battle all monsters in play die, and each player loses those monster's attack as life points. That means you're finished, and I'm just fine." (KLP: 0)

He smirked and started to walk away, but felt the need to toss one last comment over his shoulder. "Oh yeah, and thanks for the life energy. It'll go to good use."

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_Vance looked astonished as all three of his monsters blew apart, none of them able to use their effects. "You gain fifteen hundred life points because of your Sugar Rush card, but you also have an open field. So now I flip up Gilford the Swift(1400/500) and attack you directly with each of my monsters!"_

_The three attacks smashed into Vance's body, and he dropped to his knees. But he was still looking up with a big idiotic grin on his face, and looking hyper as ever. It didn't seem like anything short of a divine act could stop him from being hyper. "You aren't really finished, but at least I knocked you down a notch or two." (VLP: 8100)_

_To her surprise Vance only began to laugh, and as he drew his card, his demeanor seemed to change. He was still goofy and hyper, but there was something deadly about it. "Now that I've managed to have Sugar Rush absorb four thousand life points I can activate its delayed effect, that of a special ritual to summon my ultimate creature which only requires that I give up eight levels of monsters to summon it." _

_He slid the two cards in his hand into the graveyard, and then snapped his fingers, looking highly amused as his Sugar Rush shattered into nothingness. "Now I sacrifice Sugar Rush to unleash upon you my ultimate beast of doom, the mighty Super Mega Ultra Hyper Dynamic Sugar Man(?)!"_

"This deadly monster has an attack equal to my current life points but can't attack and whenever it uses a special ability it uses a payment of my life points thereby reducing its attack so now I'll use special ability number one by draining one thousand of my life points to drain one thousand of yours!" Sugar Man, who liked identical to Vance, sprayed white powder over Kirani, draining her of life points. (VLP: 7100, KLP: 3000)

Since Vance had no more cards in his hand and Sugar Man couldn't attack, Kirani knew it was her turn. "Hmmm...I guess I'll just set one card face down on the field and end my turn."

Vance drew, and then burst out laughing. "Time to feel my wrath because I activate Super Hyper Sugar Insanity which will force one monster on your field to attack one random target, however because Sugar Man is in play he automatically becomes the target so your monster attacks him!"

"Hold on right there! I sacrifice my set monster, Polar Opposite(0/0) to activate his special ability and absorb an effect that would otherwise target other monsters on my field!" A high-tech container appeared, with gyrating energy couplings in the center. It shattered, and Gilford remained where he was.

"Then I drain one thousand of my life points to destroy all monsters on your field according to another of Sugar Man's effects so say goodbye to your special monsters and then you'll be easy prey for each of my hyper creatures!" Sugar Man once again sprayed white powder all over Kirani's field, but this time she was ready.

"I chain with Returning Thunder, which revives one light type monster on the field! So I return Polar Opposite(0/0) and then sacrifice it to absorb the destruction effect!" The mechanical device once again pulled in the negative energy and exploded, leaving Kirani safe. (VLP: 6100)

Kirani drew, and then slammed the card into her duel disk. "I play Electric Surge! This lets me sacrifice monsters on my field to increase Gilford the Lightning's attack power. So I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse and Gilford the Swift to boost Gilford to a mighty fifty-nine hundred attack!"

Electricity crackled around Gilford's body as the two other monsters shattered into nothingness. "Although he's not strong enough to attack you yet, if you pay for any effect he'll be deadly enough to crush your monster."

She finished up by sliding a card into her updated duel disk, and then waited for Vance to make his move. The crazy duelist drew, and then smirked as he slid the newly drawn card into his cemetery. "I discard Sugar Substitute to pay for the cost of the destruction effect to blow away Gilford the Lightning and get that pesky sucker off the field for good!"

"That must be the shortest thing you've said all duel, not that it matters though. Go Lightning Shield! This trap equips to Gilford and boosts his attack and defense points by three hundred as well as preventing him from being destroyed by one effect!" Vance frowned briefly as Gilford hefted a might shield and blocked the blast of sugar.

The gilford using duelist placed a new card onto her duel disk, smirking as a heavy blade replaced Gilford's normal sword. "If he's got Lightning Shield, I need to complete the set with Lightning Blade, which boosts his attack by eight hundred up to a total of seven thousand!"

"You're a confident guy, but it won't help! Gilford the Lightning attacks Sugar Man!" The mighty warrior charged in, but Sugar Man simply sprayed sugar all over Gilford, blowing him into thousands of tiny particles. (VLP: 5100)

"I payed one thousand life points to destroy one attacking monster according to the effect of Sugar Man which means I saved my own self from damage and was able to blow away your really annoying monster that's no fun at all so you're out of the running for this one without it!" Kirani blinked as she processed this statement, and then shrugged and held out a card from her hand.

"I play the quick-play magic card Bolt of Lightning which brings back Gilford the Lightning exactly as he was and lets him attack instantly! Gilford the Lightning will attack your monster again!" Vance frowned as the warrior charged in, and then with a flick of the wrist Sugar Man blew Gilford away once again. (VLP: 4100)

"You don't see it at all do you? Oh well, but trust me when I say that Sugar Man won't be your savior, he'll be your end. I set one card face down, and end my turn, leaving you to contemplate that fact."

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_Dalin moved a card from his hand in an attempt to set it face down, however his disk again beeped and declared it to be an illegal move. He frowned slightly and lifted his disk to inspect it. A thought crossed his mind, and then he began to smirk. "I see, I know what sort of system this is."_

_Alice's eyes widened in shock, never expecting him to come to a conclusion that fast. He hadn't even watched her make a move and already he was coming to understand this style of dueling? 'I knew senpai was good, but I didn't realize he was this brilliant!'_

"_If I have surmised correctly, your game runs on a style known as a 'Mana' system. In such a style of game each player can only use cards by paying for them in what is called Mana, which are gained by charging certain types of cards. I assume like other such systems one is only allowed to charge one per turn." Alice nodded in amazement, shocked that he was figuring it out so quickly._

"_Since I have guessed correctly, I assume it is safe to charge this card as mana. Venus, Angel of Creation becomes my mana! According to the effect you have given it, since I charged it as mana instead of the three Holy Shine Spheres coming to the field, they are also automatically charged as mana!" He took the three from his deck, taking note of a number of the cards in his deck before charging them in his mana zone. Now four balls of energy were glowing up above his head, meaning he had four mana to work with._

"_Next, according to the mana style of playing I will tap all two of my mana to pay the cost of summoning Neptune, Angel of Emancipation(1700/0)!" Two balls of energy vanished, and his angel was summoned onto the field in front of him. But it looked somewhat uneasy on its feet._

"_My creature looks sick...therefor I surmise that you are using a rule that was once used in an old card game. In that game most monsters who were summoned suffered from summoning sickness, which prevented them from attacking the turn they were summoned. Since I cannot attack, my turn is over." Alice stared at him with wide eyes, unable to believe what she had just seen._

'_I'd say it was impossible...but I just saw it with my own two eyes! He just unraveled several of the basic rules of my game with minimal effort! Senpai truly is the ultimate duelist!' Dalin raised an eyebrow as Alice clapped her hands together and held them to her chest, a dreamy look in her eyes as she stared off into the distance._

'_I couldn't possibly accept being with another man, no man can measure up to Sumatin-senpai! I'll prove myself to him by giving him a difficult duel, and win or lose I'll come out of this ahead. So get ready senpai, because Alice is gunning for you!' _

Alice drew, and then slid a card into play. "I play Physical Double, which can allow me to copy one card in the opponent's mana zone. So I'll use it as Venus, Angel of Creation and put into play my very own Holy Shine Spheres, giving me a total of four mana as well!"

Four energy pinpoints appeared hovering over her field, and then all four of them vanished. "I tap all four of my mana in order to summon Ultima Assault Vehicle(2400/2300)! Thanks to his special ability I can attack Neptune right now!"

A souped up tank appeared on the field and launched a massive barrage Neptune. Dalin frowned and held up one card from his hand. Suddenly a shield appeared in front of Neptune, and the attack was pulled into the shield's barrier. "By tapping my two remaining mana I can activate Draining Shield to absorb the attack as life points." (DLP: 10400)

Alice grimaced at seeing his life points rise like that, but knew it was unavoidable. _'He even figured out how you play traps. He's almost too good, but even an expert like him can't beat me at my own game like this. He has no idea what I have in store for him.'_

Dalin picked up the top card of his deck and instantly four points of light appeared above his field. "During my standby phase it appears that my mana untaps, allowing me to use it again. Now I'll add mana in the form of Ascending Man(500/1200), giving me five mana total."

He took another card from his hand and threw it down on the duel disk. "I offer Neptune has two mana cost for this monster, and then an additional two from my mana pool in order to summon Saturn, Angel of Judgement(2400/0)."

A beautiful female angel formed in front of him, but she also had a faintly sick look to her. Unlike Ultima Assault Vehicle this monster couldn't attack this turn. "I tap an additional two mana in order to summon Seraphim Saber(1600/1500) in attack mode."

The armored sword wielding angel appeared next to the female one, and his power began to rise. "His effect increases his attack points by three hundred for every other angel on the field, so now he has nineteen hundred. With that move made, I end my turn."

Alice took her turn to draw, and then her four mana untapped. "I add mana as Oni Tank T-34, giving me five just like you. I tap four of my mana to summon a second Ultima Assault Vehicle!"

Dalin frowned as a second of the powerful monsters hit the field. "Each of my monsters will attack your two monsters and blow them away!" The monsters unleashed a barrage of weapon fire, but a barrier of light sprang up and blocked the blow.

"By tapping my remaining mana I was able to activate Light Barrier to prevent you from attacking my monsters for this turn. I assume that means you're done correct?" The young girl nodded, and Dalin drew, giving him two cards total.

His mana instantly untapped, and then he moved to tap them again. "I tap four mana to summon Ascended Man(1200/500) in attack mode as well as Seraphim Gunner(1800/1200) in attack mode. Now Seraphim Sabre(2500/2400) will attack an Ultima Assault Vehicle!"

Alice slid a card from her hand onto her disk, and Seraphim Sabre's attack fizzled out against an invisible barrier. "I tap my remaining mana to use Negate Attack, not only does that stop your attack but it ends the battle phase as well."

Dalin nodded, and awaited Alice's move. She drew, and then slid a new card into one of her mana zones. "I play Jetroid as mana, beefing my amount up to six total. Now I tap four mana to summon the third and final Ultima Assault Vehicle!"

An identical tank monster appeared, giving her a complete set. "I'll attack Ascended Man!" The heavy assault blew the much smaller monster into tiny fragments, but Dalin didn't seem bothered, especially when a new one appeared. (DLP: 9200)

"When it goes to the cemetery Ascended Man summons another of its brethren and lets me draw one card. Care to continue?" Alice frowned, and thought back. Finally she remembered that she had in fact let Ascended Man keep its standard ability. Since she didn't want him using them as mana, it was best to kill them.

"My other vehicles will attack in succession, destroy the other two as they come!" In less than a few seconds the remaining Ascended Men were annihilated, giving Dalin a total of three new cards to use.

Dalin drew once again, and he motioned to his mana. Three of them vanished as he held up one of his drawn cards. "I tap three mana to play Renewal of Triplets. Now I'll bring back each of my Ascended Men and place them into my mana zone."

Alice whistled in amazement as he suddenly had a total of eight mana, with five still untapped. He was definitely an impressive person. "Now I tap one mana to play Pot of Greed."

He slid two more cards off his deck, and then held out another card. "I tap two mana to activate Wingbeat of an Angel. In your game, this card's effect will tap all mana in the opponent's mana pool. That means you can't play any traps."

Alice frowned as her remaining mana vanished, leaving her unable to use any cards against him. "I tap one mana to summon Mars, Angel of Power(0/0) in defense mode. Then I have Seraphim Sabre(2500/2400) and Seraphim Gunner(2700/2100) each destroy an Ultima Assault Vehicle."

The two monsters attacked, one with a fiery sword and the other with a single gunshot. Two of the high-tech tanks blew apart, and Alice's life points took a slight dip. "That's all for now." (ALP: 7600)

Alice smirked at whatever she saw in her hand, and then snapped her fingers. Her mana began blinking out one by one, and her remaining Ultima Assault Vehicle shuddered and exploded. "I give up Ultima Assault Vehicle and an additional four mana to summon my ultimate creature. Come out, Nuclear Dragon(3000/2800)!"

A huge form appeared in place of her previous monsters. It was a huge red dragon with mechanical plating all along its form, and there was a faint green glow coming from it. "Now I activate Nuclear Dragon's special ability, by tapping two mana and discarding a card from my hand. Now I destroy every monster you have in play!"

Dalin didn't even blink as the massive beast spewed toxic chemicals all over his field, melting down his monsters and leaving him with no defense. "Now Nuclear Dragon, attack Sumatin-senpai directly!"

More of the toxic waste spewed over him, but again he didn't budge, despite the fact that it itched terribly and made his skin crawl. "That's all I need to do for now, so I end my turn." (DLP: 6200)

Dalin drew, and then his eight mana untapped. "Your monster may be deadly, but no single monster can defeat me. This may be your game, but you are still an amateur duelist, and so I will win. It is time, I tap mana to activate a very special card!"

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_Next Chapter: Shatter Point!_

Author's Notes: I'm back in the dimensional saddle, and now that we've kicked this off I'm gonna finish it. This chapter was a bit longer than most of these chapters will be. I was hoping to start Hitokage vs Kodowari, but I ran out of room, so I'll start in after this.

_Review Responses_

Time Mage: Sometimes Paul you just really piss me off...but since your last review of SLOMH was so awesome I'll let it slide since I already know you don't like Drake.

John: I don't think any of your questions were answered in this chapter.

Gryphinwyrm7: I will need some of those texts later, but not quite yet. I thank you for the information that Nimble Momonga is a Sugar Glider, as it helped me construct Vance's deck.

G.O.T. Nick: Sadly I didn't get to Hitokage vs Kodowari, but I will.

WolfGeneral: No problem, your dimension is fun. Plus Rikuo is the kind of character I like(I get the same feeling from Drake). I really didn't put too much effort into creating a new game, I could, but I didn't want to, so I just went for a Magic hybrid with a few styles of my own.

Darksoulki: I've read a little, and I think I'll tell you what I think via review instead of in review response.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Kensai: Wandering Samurai, Overcoming Boundaries

Davis: Grave Chain, Research on the Pot of Greed(WG)

Masue: War Path, Inferno Blade Armor, Plasma Armor, Breaker Armor

Kai: Effect Breaker

Vance: Super Ultra Mega Hyper Dynamic Sugar Man(damn that's tiresome), Super Hyper Sugar Insanity, Sugar Substitute

Kirani: Polar Opposite, Returning Thunder, Electric Surge, Gilford the Swift, Lightning Shield, Bolt of Lightning

Alice: Ultima Assault Vehicle, Nuclear Dragon

Dalin: Ascending Man, Ascended Man, Renewal of Triplets, Light Barrier, Wingbeat of an Angel


	15. Shatter Point!

Author's Notes: More of Rikuo vs Drake. Enjoy.

_**Chapter Fourteen: Shatter Point!**_

"_Meet your demise! I sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon Fenrir-Destroyer of Gods(4000/4000)!" The darkness around them seemed to howl with rage as a massive black wolf reared its head. From muzzle to the tip of its tail Drake had to estimate that the beast was just shy of a hundred feet long, and it was a definite match in size for his Supreme Sage of Balance. (RLP: 5150)_

"_You're gonna wish that you never turned your monster into a divine type, because when summoned Fenrir removes one divine type from the game and adds that creature's attack to his own!" A black aura surrounded Fenrir as it roared, and Supreme Sage of Balance was torn apart by the pure force of that roar. Drake grimaced as Fenrir's power rose to a massive eleven thousand eight hundred points._

"_Since you removed Supreme Sage of Balance from the game you saved me from the effect caused when it is destroyed. Now my out of play pile and cemetery are shuffled back into my deck, as are yours!" The two duelists did what was needed of the effect, and now what remained was Fenrir and the three cards between it and Drake._

"_Fenrir, Black Inferno's Roar!" A stream of black flame streaked towards Drake, but was suddenly intercepted by a rainbow colored barrier. The flames faded, and the rainbow light shot down into Drake's duel disk and the numbers rose. (DLP: 14650)_

"_My Mirage Magic quick-play card negated your attack and added Fenrir's attack to my life points. So I have to thank you for that one." Drake smirked and snapped his hand of cards together. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets and waited for Rikuo to declare the end of his turn._

"_Bah! You think negating my attack finishes my turn? I activate Renewed Efforts, which can only be played when a monster of mine has its attack negated! Now it gets to attack again and gains a bonus of one thousand attack points!" The black flames collided with a golden barrier formed by Drake, but the strength was so great the barrier broke and he was hurled back a dozen feet, his clothes and skin somewhat burnt. (DLP: 1850)_

"_Fenrir awaits his next morsel, so go ahead and take your turn. Nothing you do can stop his assault, so I set this one card face down and end." Just like that he had emptied his hand and unleashed a creature capable of crushing gods with a single strike. Once again the advantage was all Rikuo's, and all Drake had to work with was three cards in his hand and two on the field._

Drake snapped up a card and after a cursory glance he chose his course of action. Pointing at one of his set cards he declared his move. "Fenrir has a lot of power, but the ability to kill gods comes at a price doesn't it? I can feel that...so now I'll exploit it! Go, Wisdom of the Ancients!"

The card he was pointing at flipped up, and energy began to converge upon it. "At a cost of seven hundred life points I can turn this card into a trap, and I'm making it Ring of Destruction! I'm targeting Fenrir with it!" (DLP: 1150)

A ring of explosives appeared on Fenrir's paw and began spinning around. Fenrir growled and shook its paw, trying to get rid of the device. "Idiot! The blast will destroy you, not me. I'll still have life points left."

"That's why I'm still a move out of Seto Kaiba's play book. From my hand I play the magic card Ring of Defense, which protects me from damage!" A green spinning ring appeared in front of him on his field, ready to defend him from the damage.

Rikuo smirked and motioned to his face down card. Instantly it flipped up, and three mechanical creatures that looked like they were made of spare parts were created. "My quick-play magic card Sacrificial Scrap Heap creates three Sacrificial Junk Tokens(0/0) in defense mode. Now I sacrifice one to defend Fenrir!"

The explosives attached to the god-eater detonated, but when the smoke cleared the wolf was completely unharmed. "Fenrir can get immunities like the gods when I sacrifice a monster to him. Also, when a Sacrificial Junk Token is sacrificed I get to draw a card."

Drake grimaced as the wolf demon pulled a card off his deck. The demon still had two more tokens to use, meaning that for the moment he was stuck until he could get rid of those monsters. "I summon Heaven Spell Vanguard(1500/2200) in defense mode! Then I sacrifice its attack for the turn to add a monster from my deck to my hand, which cannot be normal summoned or set during this turn."

A card shot out of his duel disk, and he caught it, placing it into his hand. "Now I'll set one card face down and end my turn. You're up Rikuo."

The former general smirked and threw one of his two cards onto his duel disk. Instantly an armored warrior that looked like the sort of creature Rikuo was took shape next to a token. "Wolf Demon Soldier(1400/1200) is my next weapon to face off with you."

Fenrir roared at the soldier, who backed away in fear. "Fenrir will annihilate Vanguard, and then Soldier will attack you directly!" Fenrir lunged forwards and clamped down on the spellcaster, consuming him in one gulp. Then the soldier charged forwards and swung his blade at Drake.

"Activate Mechanical Magic Mirror! I'll use it to copy Sacrificial Scrap Heap from your cemetery, and bring forth three tokens to defend me with!" Three of the little tokens appeared, and the soldier cleaved one in half, leaving Drake with just two.

Rikuo sneered and placed his final card onto his duel disk, turning the move over to Drake. The punk held up his card, and then slowly placed onto his duel disk. "I set this monster face down. End turn."

Just moments after his previous turn had ended the wolf demon got to draw again, and he chuckled at Drake. "Is this all the great Drake Ihachi can do? And here I thought you were a powerful duelist, when it seems that all you can do is run away. Mechanoid War Machine(1900/50) in attack mode!"

A towering machine monster with arms that were blasters and cannons mounted on its shoulders now stood next to Wolf Demon Soldier, providing extra assault power. "Since I only have three monsters, it hardly matters what attacks what. ATTACK!"

Fenrir lunged forwards and chomped down on one of the tokens, while the soldier slashed another in half. Finally the new machine monster leveled its cannons and fired a heavy barrage at the set monster which was blown apart. "Rikuo, you just destroyed Demon Magister(1900/900) and just like before I now gain its attack as life points!" (DLP: 3050)

"You refuse to die don't you? Well it won't last much longer, I can guarantee it! Go ahead and take your turn, it doesn't matter." Drake nodded, and drew the first card on his deck, adding it to his hand. He looked them over briefly, and then chose a course of action.

"Once again I set a monster face down to protect my life points. That's all I can do for now." Instantly Rikuo drew, and then the wolf demon stared at the card, the corners of his lips tilting up.

Suddenly he threw back his head and began to roar with laughter. "It's time to end this Drake! Once more your precious magic cards will become useless when I unleash this next card! Prepare to meet it, my Spell Canceler(1800/1500)!"

He held the card up for Drake to see, and then burst out laughing again. Drake grimaced, knowing that Spell Canceler would prevent them both from using magic cards for as long as it was in play. "You never should have said anything Rikuo, because you gave me an opening to play my set card. Activate quick-play card, Magister School which creates two Magister Tokens(500/500) in defense mode!"

Two red robed magicians jumped out of his magic cards, one crouched on either side of Drake's set monster. Fenrir roared at the new monsters, and Rikuo snarled, echoing it. "It doesn't matter! I sacrifice one of my tokens to summon Spell Canceler, giving me a total of four attack worthy beasts!"

A probe-like monster appeared in place of one of the scrap tokens, and a partition at the front opened up, revealing its method of absorbing all magical energies. "Now that I have four monsters that can attack I can burn through your defenses with ease! Plus since I sacrificed my token I get to draw a card."

He drew, and then with his eyes blazing red he pointed at Drake's set monster. "Just to make sure that you don't block any of my attacks I'll crush your monster with Mechanoid War Machine. Annihilate!"

The monster opened up its weapon banks and unleashed a heavy stream of energy and projectile fire, and the flames of its attack consumed Drake's set monster. But when it cleared, the familiar form of Heaven Spell Vanguard(1500/2200) appeared in a crouched position. "You flipped and destroyed Soul Caster of Light(0/0) which revives one light type monster from the grave when flipped, and prevents that monster from dying in battle for one full turn!"

Rikuo growled deep in his throat and snapped his hand out, pointing at the two remaining tokens. "I don't care anymore! Fenrir, Spell Canceler, blow away his remaining defenses!"

A beam of energy from Spell Canceler and a swift bite from the wolf god got rid of Drake's two tokens, leaving him just with his vanguard defending his life points, and that would be easy prey in the next turn. "One card face down, and that's all."

Drake frowned, his fingers on the top of his next card. _'All of this is totally unlike Rikuo...it's not just that he's angry, it's like he's losing all focus. And it feels like its because of that god. Had he attacked my caster or a token with his Wolf Demon Soldier I wouldn't have gotten an effect, but instead he just attacked randomly.'_

Shaking off the feeling, Drake felt a pulse of energy rise through him, and then drew. He looked down at the card, and then smirked at his opponent. "Thanks to the draw effect of my two Magister Tokens I was able to reach the card to help me end Fenrir at last. This card has helped me out of tight spots before, and it's about to do so again. But first I have to make some preparations!"

He held his hand out in front of his duel disk, and two cards shot out of his cemetery. "I'm sure you'll recognize this method of summoning. I remove Demon Magister and Soul Caster of Light that are in my cemetery from the game in order to special summon this next monster from my hand!"

Rikuo didn't even blink despite his knowledge of what was coming. He knew that since Drake had just removed a dark type and a light type that he would be unleashing a creature of chaos. "Bring on your chaos monster, it won't help you."

"I beg to differ. I'll prove it shortly, since Chaos Sorcerer(2300/2000) is the first step to bringing down Fenrir and turning this duel my way!" He threw the card out onto his duel disk, and a pale skinned man in black and silver leather garb descended from above, hovering a few inches off of the ground.

"Bah! If you think that removing Fenrir will work, then think again. I still have monsters to sacrifice, so if you even try it I'll just sacrifice one and blow away your sorcerer." Fenrir seemed to agree, and tilted its massive head down towards the sorcerer, growling at the much smaller monster.

"Nobody ever said I was aiming for Fenrir. No...Spell Canceler is my target! Chaos Sorcerer, remove that pesky machine from the game! Chaos Banishment!" The sorcerer raised one hand and then snapped its fingers. Spell Canceler's colors reversed completely, and then it was gone without a trace. Rikuo picked it up off his disk and slid it into his pocket, still not bothered.

"Time to reveal why I needed it out of the way by showing you the monster I chose with Vanguard's effect. It wasn't Soul Caster, but rather my Hell Spell Striker(2200/1500). Now prepare for true power, because I activate Chaos Fusion!" He picked up his vanguard off his duel disk and held it up with his Chaos Fusion card and the striker.

An energy warp formed in the middle of the field, and something began to come out of it. What appeared was a blue skinned magician in red and black robes, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. "Meet Chaos Spell Paladin(3500/3500) who has more base attack power than virtually any other monster I can create!"

"Your monster is strong, but still no match for Fenrir. Come now, surely you can find a better morsel for Fenrir than that piece of crap?" He snickered at his own comment, and Fenrir breathed out heavily, sending a wave of hot breath across the field.

Drake shuddered as he felt that breath over his body, and he knew that Fenrir was too real to not be worried about. If that thing went after him directly again, it would rip into his flesh and eat him alive. "To continue with my move I set one card face down. Then I activate Card of Sanctity!"

Both duelists swiftly drew six cards from the magic card's effect, replenishing their hands completely. Also a small bead of light appeared on one of the crystals that lined the edges of the paladin's shield. "Each magic card played grants my Paladin a magic counter. Now, I activate Graceful Charity!"

He pulled three cards off his deck and then tossed aside two from his hand, making another bead of light appeared on the shield. "Since I need one more magic counter for what I intend to do, Pot of Greed will give it to me along with two new cards."

Once more he drew, this time putting his hand size up to seven cards. Rikuo awaited silently, wondering exactly what Drake was up to. "By sacrificing three magic counters from my monster I can add any monster from my deck to my hand, and I choose Kuriboh Magician(300/200)!"

"What's that pathetic little creature going to do to help you? Sure you can activate magic cards without limitations, but magic cards aren't going to let you defeat Fenrir. Care to try something else that would actually work?" Drake shook his head, and then slid his new card into the cemetery.

"Like I said, Kuriboh Magician, which I discard to negate all limitations to activating magic cards during this turn. Now, here's why! I activate Gather Your Mind which lets me place another Gather Your Mind from my deck to my hand!" He slid the card into his grave, then caught another that shot out of his deck.

"Normally I can only play one Gather Your Mind per turn, but thanks to Kuriboh Magician I can play each of them. So I'll play Gather Your Mind, grab the third, and then play that final one!" In quick succession two more beads of light appeared on the magician's shield, giving him a total of three so far.

"Now I play Magical Well, which lets me add a magic card from my deck to my hand which can't be activated or set during this turn...but thanks to Kuriboh Magician I can use it. Then I also activate a second Magical Well." He held up two cards that he had chosen, and then returned them to his hand as two more counters were granted to the paladin.

"Next up in my combo I play Shot From The Dark, activating Magical Well from my cemetery! Now I search for another magic card and that also means I get an additional two counters on my magician!" Just like he had said two more appeared, giving the paladin a total of seven counters.

"Gather all the counters you want and all the monsters you need, it won't stop me. Monsters are nothing against Fenrir, and there aren't any monsters in your deck that can stop him." Drake paused in his actions for a moment, smiling briefly. Then the smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared and he was focused once again.

"You let me worry about that. First I set two cards face down, and then I play Grave Magical Research! For every magic card in my hand I discard I can pick up one from the cemetery, so I discard three magic cards to pick up three from the grave at random!" He slid his three cards into the grave, and then took three more from the cemetery. Instantly another counter lit up on the paladin.

"Perfect. I play Gather Your Mind and Magical Well, placing two more counters on my paladin. Now you said that monsters won't help, but I haven't been putting magic counters on my paladin to get monsters. No, I didn't even summon it to be an attack force. I summoned it because there is no limit to the number of magic counters I can place on it...and now I have enough to carry out my plan!" Rikuo frowned, but when Fenrir roared right back at Drake the wolf demon's confidence completely returned.

"You see Rikuo, I needed ten magic counters to carry out my plan, because I'm about to use a card that needs that many. So now I reveal my set magic card, the ultimate weapon of the magician!" One of his three set cards flipped up, and the ground around them began to shake. Rising up from the ground was a massive cannon that was nearly as large as Fenrir and standing at the base was Chaos Spell Paladin.

"By sacrificing ten magic counters on my field this weapon, known as Megaton Magical Cannon, can destroy every single card you have in play. Now I give up my paladin's counters to charge the cannon. Time to end it...Megaton Magic Attack!" Rikuo's eyes went wide as the paladin pulled the trigger, and the cannon fired.

The explosion, had it not been in a realm separate from the regular world, would have shattered a massive chunk out of the island. All Rikuo had seen was a massive flash of light, and then nothing. Slowly consciousness returned to him, and he sat up. To his surprise he found that there was nothing on his field whatsoever. "You're lucky Fenrir was there, he absorbed the brunt of the blast. Not that it matters...Chaos Spell Paladin attacks you directly!"

The wolf demon grunted as the magician's sword slashed into his shoulder, cutting into the flesh. He snarled and punched the magician in the chest, driving it backwards. Finally it returned to Drake's side of the field, job finished. "You've played well Rikuo, but I doubt you can recover from this. End." (RLP: 1650)

Rikuo shook his head to clear it, and then returned to his feet. He smirked and held up one of the seven cards he was holding, and instantly a brain appeared on the field and sent a pair of ghostly hands across to take hold of Chaos Spell Paladin. "Brain Control gives me your monster for the turn."

Drake frowned, but took reassurance in the fact that he still had two face down cards. "Now I play Polymerization and fuse together Wolf Demon Lord(2400/1000) and Jinzo(2400/1500) to create Steel Wolf General(3400/2000)! And since he retains Jinzo's effect..."

The green armored wolf demon pointed at one of Drake's face down cards, and it exploded, leaving him with just one card in play. "Chaos Spell Paladin, attack Chaos Sorcerer!"

"I activate the quick-play magic card, Night Barrier! This negates one attack and lets me draw two cards!" He slid two more cards off his deck, but knew that his monster was now defenseless. At least he wouldn't be finished off this turn though.

"It hardly matters! Steel Wolf General will cut him down!" The demon slammed its sword into the sorcerer, and it was cleaved in half. Drake grunted as what remained of the energy surged across the field and collided with him. (DLP: 1950)

"Now, say goodbye to all the precious damage you inflicted on me last turn! I activate Mystik Wok and sacrifice Chaos Spell Paladin to gain its attack as life points!" A giant wok took shape under the magician, and he was quickly deep fried, adding his attack to Rikuo's life points. Finally the former demon general placed one of his two remaining cards onto the field. (RLP: 5150)

Drake grimaced and drew a card...then he frowned. His gaze flickered over both fields, and then up to Rikuo. He closed his eyes and began to focus, knowing what would have to come. "Time for the test of my true strength...and if I'm going to win I have to do it! It calls to me to do it, so I will. I activate the magic card Monster Reborn from my hand...and I choose Fenrir(4000/4000)!"

Rikuo stared in horror as the massive wolf god began to form on Drake's field, towering over everything else. Drake dropped to his knees, holding his head in pain as the demon god roared. "Get out...get out...GET OUT!"

He threw back his head and screamed, golden energy surging around his body. Finally he returned to his feet, his entire body wreathed in the light. "This...this isn't what I expected. So I'll get this done fast. Fenrir, blow away Steel Wolf General!"

The mighty creature sent a jet of black flame arcing across the field, which instantly vaporized the general. "I use Steel Wolf General's effect and return Wolf Demon Lord(2400/1000) to the field in attack mode!" Rikuo's avatar returned, staring confidently at the god. (RLP: 4550)

"I set one card face down and a monster in defense mode. End turn." He sighed with relief as Rikuo drew and the mighty god faded away. The energy that had surrounded him faded away as he no longer had to fight against the god. He had just learned an important lesson. Controlling another person's god wasn't a good idea when it wasn't meant for you...particularly a god that ate other gods.

Rikuo snarled, irritated that his opponent had taken control of his god, even if just for one turn. "You'll pay for that in the end, just like everything else. I'll use your skull as a decorative bowl when I'm done with you!"

Drake grimaced and shook his head in annoyance. _'His family is inventive with its threats...but sometimes those threats are just weird. A decorative bowl?'_

"I play Magnetic Recovery to revive Jinzo(2400/1500) in defense mode! Now Wolf Demon Lord will attack the set monster, and its effect will negate your monsters effect!" Drake frowned as he placed his Sage of Everlasting Light into the cemetery without getting a chance to use its effect.

The punk duelist drew, and then slammed his card into his duel disk. "From my hand I play Book of Moon which flips Jinzo into face down defense mode! Now since he isn't face-up his effect is no longer active."

Rikuo frowned as his android monster changed into a horizontal brown-backed card. Jinzo's defense wasn't impressive, so it likely couldn't against an assault in defense mode. "Now, this is my last chance. So let's try it shall we? Go trap card, Take One Chance!"

The purple bordered card lifted up, and a treasure chest emerged from the trap. Rikuo smirked as the chest began to open. "So you're counting on luck to get you the card you want from the cemetery? Magic, trap, or monster it hardly matters. So take whatever you get, because it won't help!"

"Let's find out! Now to reveal the card I've gotten!" The chest opened fully, and what emerged from it was a magic card showing a female angel praying. Drake stared at the card blankly, even though he recognized it.

Rikuo chuckled darkly at the sight. "Graceful Charity? That's hardly going to help you out. But go ahead, draw three and discard two."

Drake looked at his three new cards and then blankly discarded two from his hand. Rikuo felt a shiver of excitement at the dead look in his opponent's eyes. A look of utter despair. "I...end."

"How completely perfect! There's absolutely nothing you can do to stop me! First I flip summon Jinzo!" The green armored android appeared, arms folded across its chest. It nodded briefly to Rikuo's avatar, and then the two turned back to focus on Drake.

"It's time to truly end it! Wolf Demon Lord, attack him directly!" The demon raised its blade and then slammed it into the ground. An energy wave shot across the field and then a massive explosion rocked them both, filling the field with fire and smoke.

Rikuo coughed as smoke filled his lungs, but couldn't help but smirk as he knew his enemy was defeated. "Let's find out what's left of you eh?"

He began to walk into the smoke, but his steps faltered when a wave of powerful energy collided with him and forced him backwards. "Screw you Rikuo. There's plenty of me left."

The smoke faded...revealing just two duelists and nothing else. "The duel's over buddy, and now it's time to inflict a true Punishment Game upon you!"

"This duel isn't over yet Rikuo. Take at a look at your duel disk and find out." Rikuo frowned and glanced down at the mechanical device. To his surprise it was still activate, and his life points still read exactly as they had previous to his attack.

"What the hell is this? If the duel isn't over, where did everything go? Why isn't there anything on the field?" In response to this question Drake held his hand over his cemetery slot, and a card was ejected from it. The punk duelist flipped it up, revealing it to Rikuo's keen demonic eyes.

"My magic card Breakdown can only be activated when there are twenty cards in the cemetery, and can even be played from the grave, but doesn't count itself in the grave. After that one use it is removed and it blows away every card on the opponent's field and in their hand." Rikuo blinked, shocked to see that everything he had gathered was gone, and there was nothing left for the turn that he could do.

"It's time to turn this duel around Rikuo. I summon Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900) and then I attack you directly!" A beam of white energy hit the wolf demon, but he just shrugged it off. What he still felt was the sheer irritation and rage that came from having his vengeance stripped from him like that. (RLP: 3150)

"I set one card face down. Now let's see what you can do Rikuo." A holographic card appeared behind Drake, leaving him with one card left in his hand.

The wolf demon drew, his eyes only seeing his Amplifier equip card. He placed the card face down, and then nodded to Drake. "Go and take your turn."

"It's almost sad when a powerful duelist like you has come to this. But this is the point of this duel when everything you've worked towards shatters, leaving you with nothing. I've already said that I'll show my innocence, and if it takes winning to show you the truth then I will. Now, Refined Spellweaver(1600/1100) in attack mode!" The well-dressed magician bowed to Drake, and then snapped his wand up in readiness.

"Refined Spellweaver and Guardian Magician of the Day...attack Rikuo directly! Shatter his last hopes of getting his false vengeance!" Rikuo was blasted onto his back by the double magic attack, and he just stared up into the endless darkness above him. It was just about over now. (RLP: 150)

'_There's so little left...but I can't let it end now. I have to get revenge for what he did to Eri! I must have vengeance!'_ Drake couldn't help but smile as he saw the demon stand and reach for his deck. Rikuo certainly had the strength and spirit of a true duelist, and he never gave up. He was just too stubborn to die.

"You may have me on the ropes but I'm not out yet! It's my turn to return the duel to my favor, and I'm going to blow away any hopes you had of winning when I do so! So it's my turn to draw! Feel the wrath of the wolf demon general, feel the wrath of the top deck, feel the wrath of Rikuo Amero!"

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_Next Chapter: Duel Montage Pt.3_

Author's Notes: The Rikuo vs Drake duel has been giving me trouble because of several reasons, so this chapter was delayed. But now I know what happens so I can continue playing it out. So here you go.

_Review Responses_

Time Mage: You guess right, in fact Kai and Masue will face off again, only next time Kai will have figured out how to deal with an Armor Deck.

John: As you can see, you were right.

Gryphinwyrm7: No worries about the god, it won't be a problem. And yep, your guess about Kensai is right.

G.O.T. Nick: You'll see about those first two parts soon. But no, it won't be Sol.

WolfGeneral: Honestly, regardless of what people think of the characters, I think this Rikuo vs Drake was one of the better duels I've written.

The White Mage: Why do you even comment about the Magic thing? I already said I was basing the game off that with just a few alterations, and that shouldn't be a problem anyways. After all, the game that's being played regularly is an actual card game.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Drake: Wisdom of the Ancients, Heaven Spell Vanguard, Demon Magister, Magister School, Soul Caster of Light, Chaos Fusion, Hell Spell Striker, Chaos Spell Paladin, Kuriboh Magician, Magical Well, Shot From The Dark, Grave Magical Research, Night Barrier, Breakdown, Guardian Magician of the Day, Refined Spellweaver

Rikuo: Sacrificial Scrap Heap, Wolf Demon Soldier(WG), Mechanoid War Machine, Wolf Demon Lord(WG), Steel Wolf General(WG), Fenrir(WG)

**Anime Cards**

Drake: Ring of Defense, Mechanical Magic Mirror, Take One Chance

Rikuo: Magnetic Recovery


	16. Duel Montage Pt 3

Author's Notes: Even more montageness.

_**Chapter Fifteen: Duel Montage Pt. 3**_

_Kensai's eyes widened as he counted the magic cards that had just been played. He knew what was coming next. "I sacrifice Skilled Dark Magician and his three counters to summon the Dark Magician(2500/2100)! But he'll be gone soon, because I play Polymerization!"_

_Davis held up Buster Blader(2600/2300) and the two monsters merged as one in a vortex of energy. The monster that emerged wore magnificent armor and had a bladed staff in his hand. "Meet Dark Paladin(2900/2600)! He attacks you directly!"_

_Dark Paladin slashed directly into Kensai, knocking him backwards. The damage was great, but Kensai could see by the look on Davis' face that it wasn't over yet. "Go quick-play magic card, Defusion! This breaks down Dark Paladin into his base parts, who attack you directly!"_

_Dark Paladin's form shifted, and Buster Blader and Dark Magician appeared on the field. Buster Blader slammed his sword against Kensai, while Dark Magician used its Dark Magic Attack to blast Kensai off his feet. "You wanted my power? Well that's my strength. I set one card face down and end my turn!" (KLP: 4000)_

_Kensai drew and placed the card on his duel disk. "One monster in defense mode. End turn." _

_Davis drew for the first time in two turns, and then immediately tossed the card onto his duel disk. "D.D. Warrior Lady(1500/1600) in attack mode. Now she attacks your set monster!"_

_A ghostly reaper appeared and swept down on Buster Blader, hacking the mighty warrior in half. "Night Assailant(200/100) has a flip effect that destroys one monster on the field. So your Buster Blader fell prey to it."_

"_You're still going to feel my strength! Dark Magic Attack!" Another energy assault drove Kensai back and dropped his life points by more than half. However, the warrior duelist still didn't seem to have been hurt very much. (KLP: 1500)_

_Kensai drew and then he began to laugh. "It's here...the power that will undo you. I activate the magic card Painful Choice!"_

He scanned his deck and quickly picked out five cards, then he held them out to let Davis see them. Davis frowned as he recognized the strategy, as each one was either a light or a dark type monster. _'Looks like Eli isn't alone in his use of these beasts.'_

"Go ahead and keep Dark Blade." Kensai nodded and then dropped the four other cards into his cemetery. Finally he took one of his five cards and threw it out onto his duel disk.

"You saw this coming didn't you? Well here he is! I remove one dark and one light type monster from my cemetery to summon Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End(3000/2500)!" A gigantic dragon with a mane of red hair stomped out onto his field, and then let loose a roar that shook the mountain to its foundations.

"As you seem to be aware of I can now activate his ability. So I pay one thousand life points to do so. Apocalyptic Eruption!" The dragon's body shook, and then it exploded and consumed the field in chaotic energies. But to Kensai's shock the wave of energy slammed into a barrier in front of Davis and then faltered. (KLP: 500)

"Sorry Kensai, but I had a method in play to stop such an assault. Hallowed Life Barrier costs one card from my hand, but it protected me from the combined damage of your assault. Now you're the one who's defenseless and I'm still alive." His confidence was partially broken when he heard his wife sigh dramatically behind him.

He turned back to her and frowned. "No need to act so surprised. Did you really think I was just going to lose so easily to this guy?" She shrugged, looking slightly guilty. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the duel.

Kensai was tapping his foot against the ground, and shook his head in amusement. "I was prepared for such an incident. Believe it or not, but of the cards that I discard...three were Repayment of Losses. That means I draw three cards!"

Davis' eyes went wide as the other duelist snapped three cards off his deck and then immediately slapped one down onto his field. "White Knight of Vanda(1800/1900) in attack mode. Direct attack!" The blade slashed across Davis' middle, folding him over in pain. (DLP: 100)

"I set one card face down and end my turn. All to you Davis, if you can recover." Asriel shot a glare at Kensai, but was stopped from saying anything when Davis struggled back to an upright position and drew a card.

"I don't give in so easily. But I will set one card face down and end my turn." A single face down card was all that stood between him and Kensai's monster, and he could only hope the other duelist didn't draw a new monster.

"White Knight of Vanda, attack him directly!" The white armored knight charged again, only to find himself jumping straight into a giant tube.

"Say goodbye Kensai! Magic Cylinder redirects the attack directly at your life points!" The knight was fired straight out of the tube and right back at Kensai. The warrior grimaced and slammed one of his two cards into his duel disk.

"Death Gift lets me sacrifice a monster to increase my life points by 1000, protecting me from being finished by the damage!" He grunted as his knight slammed its sword into his chest, but despite the pain he remained standing, displaying his impressive strength and endurance. (KLP: 600)

"Now in my second main phase, since it's the only card in my hand, I normal summon Swift Knight Gaia of the Gale(2300/2100)!" The blue and red armored knight on his mighty steed road out, readying his jousting sticks for when he could attack.

Davis drew, and then immediately held out his card. "Monster Reborn revives Buster Blader(2600/2300) who immediately cuts down Gaia!"

Kensai frowned as the mighty warrior cut his knight in half, leaving his field empty except for one face down card. Now he and Davis were on almost completely even terms. "Turn by turn you prove yourself to be a truly powerful duelist, and I respect that." (KLP: 300)

"I've come to respect you as well. It's your turn." Kensai nodded and drew, then immediately held up Pot of Greed and drew two new cards.

"Hmmm...I play Silent Dead which lets me revive one normal monster from my graveyard in face-up defense. So Dark Blade(1800/1500) returns in defense position. Then I summon Blade Knight(1600/1000) in defense mode. End turn." Two monsters, one in black armor and the other in white armor, now kneeled in front of Kensai.

"Buster Blader destroys Dark Blade. That's all I can do for now." His warrior slashed the other one in half, leaving Kensai with nothing but a set card and Blade Knight, who was boosted to two thousand attack by its effect.

"This duel...it's just about over I'd say. I activate Warrior's Tomb! For each warrior in my grave I can draw one card, up to a maximum of six. So I draw six cards, reducing Blade Knight's attack power!" In one motion he took six cards off his deck and fanned them out.

"Now since Blade Knight has lost attack power I can activate Card of Last Will to draw five new cards!" He smirked and drew five more cards, giving him a grand total of eleven. Davis watched it with horror, knowing something bad was coming.

"I play another card from the Supreme Duelist Series, Blood Moon Ritual! I offer Blade Knight from the field and Freed the Matchless General from my hand in order to summon...Warrior of the Blood Moon(X000/X000)!" A sickly looking warrior in bloody red armor formed in place of Blade Knight, and held up a sword that was so encrusted with blood that it was black.

"X is the number of monsters removed from play divided by two, so right now he has five thousand attack and defense points. But I'm not going to end it like this...no, I'll show you a true warrior's strength. Activate magic card, Soul Release! With it I'll remove five monsters from my graveyard!" Five spirits exploded from his grave and their energy slammed into Warrior of the Blood Moon, sending his attack skyrocketing to seven thousand.

"Now I activate Excalibur, doubling his attack power. And now...this is the end. Warrior of the Blood Moon, attack and destroy Buster Blader!" Davis closed his eyes as the warrior slammed its blade into his warrior's gut, and then wrenched it out, spilling the blader's blood across the ground. (DLP: 0)

The duel disks shut off, and Kensai approached Davis and held out his hand. Davis smiled and shook it, happy to have had such a fun duel. "It's been quite some time since I got a chance to duel somebody of your skill."

"I've never faced anybody with such spirit before, I should be thanking you. I needed this duel, but unfortunately it comes at a price. The power that resides within you...it now belongs to me. And though I do what I must...there is always something more for it." He pulled away, and Davis suddenly felt a burst of cold throughout his body, and he dropped to his knees as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

Asriel rushed forwards, but Kensai jumped backwards off the mountain, and to her surprise a helicopter rose up, and Kensai grabbed a ladder. "Farewell. Until we meet again."

She turned back to her husband as the helicopter roared out into the distance. "I'm sorry Davis...there was nothing I could do. We both thought he was a good person, when in the end he was just another bastard who doesn't deserve to be called a duelist."

"No...he does. And I've got the proof." He opened up his hand, the one he had used to shake Kensai's hand, and showed her what was in. It was a small piece of paper with instructions written on it, and at the top...an address.

"I guess we've got some travel plans to make don't we?"

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"_You're a confident guy, but it won't help! Gilford the Lightning attacks Sugar Man!" The mighty warrior charged in, but Sugar Man simply sprayed sugar all over Gilford, blowing him into thousands of tiny particles. (VLP: 5100)_

"_I payed one thousand life points to destroy one attacking monster according to the effect of Sugar Man which means I saved my own self from damage and was able to blow away your really annoying monster that's no fun at all so you're out of the running for this one without it!" Kirani blinked as she processed this statement, and then shrugged and held out a card from her hand._

"_I play the quick-play magic card Bolt of Lightning which brings back Gilford the Lightning exactly as he was and lets him attack instantly! Gilford the Lightning will attack your monster again!" Vance frowned as the warrior charged in, and then with a flick of the wrist Sugar Man blew Gilford away once again. (VLP: 4100)_

"_You don't see it at all do you? Oh well, but trust me when I say that Sugar Man won't be your savior, he'll be your end. I set one card face down, and end my turn, leaving you to contemplate that fact." _

Vance pouted and picked up a card. He grinned and tossed it onto his duel disk. "Sugar Soldier(1400/1600) is summoned in attack mode, and then it launches an assault immediately upon your life points in order to cut them down to size and crush you once and for all!"

A simple man who was bouncing from toe to toe jumped out at her, and tossed a dozen or more sugar packets at Kirani. "I activate Starburst Pattern, which destroys the attacking monster and lets me summon a monster from my deck of equal level. So I summon Berserker Gilford(3000/0)!"

The towering berserk warrior slashed his sword twice through the air, and the human warrior collapsed, and exploded into tiny little fragments. "When Sugar Soldier dies I gain seven hundred life points which go into the effect of Sugar Man to pay one thousand life points and deal one thousand damage to your life points!" (VLP: 3800, KLP: 2000)

"You're still clueless, and that's why you're an amateur. I play Pot of Greed, then I activate Monster Reborn to revive Gilford the Lightning(2800/1500)!" Her keystone monster emerged from the ground, greeting Berserker with a nod of the head which wasn't returned.

"Now I play Titan's Storm, boosting Berserker Gilford by fifteen hundred attack points for the turn, but he'll die at the end. Not that it matters though, because he now has more attack points than Sugar Man. Berserk Lightning Slash!" The monster roared and charged forwards, only to be blown away by a blast of raw sugar. (VLP: 2800)

"Sure, you use your monster's effect to destroy mine. Now let me attack again. Gilford, Thunderbolt Cut!" Vance's eyes widened in realization and horror, and he panicked so much that he couldn't even declare his move. He just motioned frantically to Sugar Man, who blasted Gilford with sugar. (VLP: 1800)

"I can see that now you've figured it out. Sugar Man requires one thousand points to defeat a monster with its effect, and now that you have so few life points most monsters can beat it, and if you destroy one then another can easily cut you down. Plus another one thousand points and your monster will be useless. So go ahead and take your turn." She smirked and put her hands on her hips, waiting for him to make his move.

He drew and frowned at the sight of Sugar Knight(2100/1500) a level five monster. Sugar Man couldn't be sacrificed anyways, so it was useless. "Errr...end I think."

"You're right, this is the end. Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) in attack mode! His effect lets me draw one card from the top of my deck and one from the bottom!" She drew the two cards, and then threw out another of them.

"Lightning Summon lets me summon another Gilford of Thunder and that lets me draw two new cards!" Once again she drew as her two monsters hefted their blades and prepared to launch their attack.

"Gilford of Thunder attacks, and then what do you do?" Vance grimaced and snapped his fingers, prompting Sugar Man to unleash its effect, blasting apart the attacking monster. Unfortunately it wasn't going to be enough. (VLP: 800)

"Now for the kill! Gilford of Thunder, attack Sugar Man!" The hyperactive duelist lowered his eyes as the warrior slashed his precious monster in half and blasted away the last handful of life points that he had remaining. (VLP: 0)

Vance fell to his knees, pouting as the duel disks shut themselves down. Kirani approached him and leaned down, glaring at him. "Now...you and I are going to have a little talk."

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_Alice smirked at whatever she saw in her hand, and then snapped her fingers. Her mana began blinking out one by one, and her remaining Ultima Assault Vehicle shuddered and exploded. "I give up Ultima Assault Vehicle and an additional four mana to summon my ultimate creature. Come out, Nuclear Dragon(3000/2800)!"_

_A huge form appeared in place of her previous monsters. It was a huge red dragon with mechanical plating all along its form, and there was a faint green glow coming from it. "Now I activate Nuclear Dragon's special ability, by tapping two mana and discarding a card from my hand. Now I destroy every monster you have in play!"_

_Dalin didn't even blink as the massive beast spewed toxic chemicals all over his field, melting down his monsters and leaving him with no defense. "Now Nuclear Dragon, attack Sumatin-senpai directly!"_

_More of the toxic waste spewed over him, but again he didn't budge, despite the fact that it itched terribly and made his skin crawl. "That's all I need to do for now, so I end my turn." (DLP: 6200)_

_Dalin drew, and then his eight mana untapped. "Your monster may be deadly, but no single monster can defeat me. This may be your game, but you are still an amateur duelist, and so I will win. It is time, I tap mana to activate a very special card!"_

One of his eight mana vanished, and then he tossed out the card. Suddenly the area behind him altered, becoming a celestial kingdom with little creatures darting in and out from it. "By tapping one mana I was able to activate Sanctuary of the Sky."

Alice blinked as the field formed, not quite sure how that was going to help him. "How's that going to help you? Two cards in hand, seven mana, and one field card that operates differently aren't going to save you from Nuclear Dragon."

"No? I beg to differ. I tap two mana to activate Monster Reborn and revive Saturn, Angel of Judgement(2400/0)!" The blonde female angel flew out from the sanctuary and flapped her wings, casting a deadly glare at Alice. The female duelist blinked in surprise at the way it was looking at her.

"Now I tap two more mana to activate Justice For All, setting my life points at double their starting amount. Then during the start of each of my other turns my life points will reduce by half." Blue waves of energy flowed from the card and into Dalin and his duel disk, empowering him with a great deal of energy. (DLP: 16000)

"Amazing...I see now that you're exactly as I thought. You're the perfect duelist, the only person worthy of me." Dalin quirked an eyebrow at this comment, but otherwise made no reply.

"I tap one mana to activate Saturn's effect. Now I sacrifice Saturn for Final Judgement!" The angel threw her arms up, and waves of energy rippled off of her and slammed into Alice, dropping the young duelist to her knees.

"Absolutely amazing...you learned my game so fast and then defeated me so easily. Against you I'm nothing...and that's why I won't let you be with anybody else." The last part was muttered to herself, but Dalin still heard her. (ALP: 0)

"Now Alice, we need to talk."

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_Kodowari expanded his senses, seeking out the girl's presence. If he could find her then he could confront her and get her out of the way for good. Doing so would also grant him her power, and that was always a positive thing. "I'll crush her the second I find her!"_

_Power crackled around him as he sought out her presence, and suddenly he felt something strange. His energies as they searched for her had just touched a void, something similar to a black hole. He couldn't sense anything in that one spot. "What is this? The touch of my power is nothing to this thing...my power is drawn inwards!"_

_The strange void seemed to be approaching, and knowing that he couldn't truly touch it with his power he drew back, keeping himself away from it. "How could anything do that to my power? What sort of beast is capable of taking in all of my power!"_

_Kodowari dropped down from the tree, landing in a crouch. He lifted his head, and found himself facing a teenager in a solid blue uniform. An Obelisk Blue underclassman. "You? Get the hell out of my way, I'm not in the mood to deal with your cocky attitude."_

_He moved forwards and attempted to brush by the taller boy, but when he pushed against the other boy he felt a hand latch onto his wrist. His blue eyes widened as he felt the power that still crackled around him drawn away and into that hand around his wrist. 'I feel so cold...'_

_He turned his head in fear, and found his blue eyes met by cold and calm jade eyes. "What are you! Don't touch me!"_

_In his mind's eye, he could see all that this boy was. This was the black hole for his power, this was the thing that he couldn't touch with his magical energies. "I am myself. I am Hitokage Seijitsu, and I know exactly what I am. The question is, what are you?"_

"What the hell kind of question is that? I'm a human being, unlike you. You're some kind of demon, I know it!" The Obelisk Blue student frowned, and then released his hold on Kodowari by pushing him backwards. The Osiris red duelist stumbled, but managed to catch his footing.

"I am no demon, nor am I human. I am a weapon, I am a Reaver. And you...now that I have fed from you I understand. You are nothing but a puppet, a creature created in human form and given orders by another that even you are not aware of. Part of the creator's spirit is imbued in the puppet, granting it many attributes. Based on your attitude, I would assume that your father created you. For what purpose I don't know...nor do I care."

"I'm not a puppet! I am Kodowari Nobuki! My father is Taichi Nobuki, and he did not create me! I have all these memories, how could they be false? Where does your theory play in with that?" Hitokage shrugged and began approaching Kodowari, extending his hand. The teen backed away in fear, now aware of the threat that Hitokage posed.

"Sometimes the puppets are granted memories in order to keep them complacent, but only when they must be subtle and are not used for dirty work. I don't care why you are here, but you are the one who has been taking students souls, and I won't allow such a thing on my island." Kodowari jerked away, but suddenly found himself backed against a tree as Hitokage's hand closed around his throat.

"You've got a major ego! Your island? Well if you want this island you'll have to take it from me in a Darkness Game!" Dark energy surged around them, and he felt Hitokage's arm tighten and some of the energy of the darkness began to leech into his body.

Hitokage released Kodowari, allowing him to drop to the ground. "If darkness is how you wish to play this out, then I'll deal with your darkness. I assume you wanted to duel?"

Kodowari nodded, and as one the two duelist raised their duel disk and activated them and then slid their decks into place. "I'll take the first turn, and I'll start off with the field magic card Game Company! All 'game' monsters gained five hundred attack and one thousand defense."

"Now I summon Production Staff-Creative Division(1200/1500) in attack mode! Each turn I can forfeit my draw to let me add a 'game' monster from my deck to my hand using his effect. Also I set one card face down. That's it for me." He smirked confidently as a nerdy man in glasses appeared at a computer desk, frantically typing away.

Hitokage frowned slightly as he looked over his hand, but knew what course of action he could take. "I also set one magic or trap card face down. However, instead of summoning a monster in attack mode I set one monster face down. End turn."

"So confident huh? Well I add one game monster to my hand, and then I activate my set card, Enemy Controller! At a cost of one thousand life points I'll offer your set monster as a sacrifice to summon Game Console(500/3000)!" The black box appeared as a game controller shot a wire out and attached it to Hitokage's set monster. (KLP: 3000)

"Now, Production Staff will attack your life points directly!" The pencil pusher looked up from his desk, picked up a stapler, and then hurled it at the Obelisk Blue student.

"Activate trap card, Soul Vanishing. This makes your monster inert, unable to be sacrificed or attack. In addition each of my turns I will gain one hundred life points for each of its levels." A wisp of a cloud exited the pencil pusher's mouth, and he fell limp against his desk.

"Fine, end turn." Hitokage nodded and drew, then another wisp of cloud flowed from the face up trap and into Hitokage's duel disk. (HLP: 4400)

"I summon Malice Doll of Demise(1600/1700) in attack mode." A nasty looking puppet appeared in front of him, holding a scythe in one hand and grinning maniacally.

"I play the continuous magic card Sacrificial Soul. Now I sacrifice Malice Doll of Demise to its effect and remove one card in your hand from play." Kodowari grimaced as the doll turned to energy and slammed into his hand, blowing away one of his three remaining cards.

"Now I set one card. End turn."

Kodowari snarled even as a card ejected from his deck. "Prepare to feel the second level of technology and the power it can bring. I have added to my hand the monster that will start your end. I must sacrifice Game Console for it, so I do so, and bring out the second generation. Game Console 2(1000/4000)."

A somewhat sleeker version of the black box console appeared, floating almost menacingly above Kodowari's field. "Get ready to feel the pain. By discarding one card from my hand I can swap its attack and defense points until the end of your turn!"

He slid one of his two remaining cards into the grave, and then the monster's stats flipped. "Here we go! Attack Hitokage directly with Power Surge attack!"

The slots for controllers to go in charged up, and then four different blasts of energy shot out at Hitokage. "Say goodbye to virtually all of your life points!"

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_Next Chapter: Duel Montage Pt.4_

Author's Notes: Next time we'll get to see the conclusions to Rikuo vs Drake and Hitokage vs Kodowari. Yahoo!

_Review Responses_

G.O.T. Nick: There's just something about Kuriboh that amuses me, so it needs many forms. And yes, that's what could happen. Cuz I'm psychic.

WolfGeneral: Honestly I only know that one of Eater of the Moon's abilities, so I couldn't have played it had I wanted to.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Kensai: Repayment of Losses, White Knight of Vanda, Death Gift, Blood Moon Ritual, Warrior's Tomb, Warrior of the Blood Moon

Vance: Sugar Soldier, Sugar Knight

Kirani: Starburst Pattern, Berserker Gilford, Gilford of Thunder, Lightning Summon, Titan's Storm

Dalin: Justice For All

Kodowari: Game Company, Production Staff-Creative Division, Game Console, Game Console 2

Hitokage: Soul Vanishing, Sacrificial Soul

**Anime Cards**

NONE


	17. Duel Montage Pt 4

Author's Notes: The conclusion to the Duel Montage!

_**Chapter Sixteen: Duel Montage Pt.4**_

_Kodowari snarled even as a card ejected from his deck. "Prepare to feel the second level of technology and the power it can bring. I have added to my hand the monster that will start your end. I must sacrifice Game Console for it, so I do so, and bring out the second generation. Game Console 2(1000/4000)."_

_A somewhat sleeker version of the black box console appeared, floating almost menacingly above Kodowari's field. "Get ready to feel the pain. By discarding one card from my hand I can swap its attack and defense points until the end of your turn!"_

_He slid one of his two remaining cards into the grave, and then the monster's stats flipped. "Here we go! Attack Hitokage directly with Power Surge attack!" _

_The slots for controllers to go in charged up, and then four different blasts of energy shot out at Hitokage. "Say goodbye to virtually all of your life points!"_

Hitokage motioned to his face down card, which immediately flipped up. "Attack Leeching negates one attack and lets me draw one card."

The energy fizzled out even as Hitokage slid another card off the top of his deck. Kodowari grimaced and glanced at the last card in his hand. "Fine, have it your way. End turn."

Hitokage didn't even seem to notice the energy that surged into his duel disk, he was more focused on what he had in his hand. Finally he pointed to the empty space in front of him and made a declaration. "Since I offered Malice Doll of Demise to a continuous magic card it now returns." (HLP: 4800)

The deadly puppet reappeared, cackling at Kodowari. "Once again I sacrifice Malice Doll of Demise to Sacrificial Soul in order to remove the final card in your hand from play."

Kodowari felt his blood begin to boil as the blast of energy knocked his last card out of his hand. Not that it really mattered with his Production Staff-Creative Division on the field. "Go ahead and destroy my cards all you want, it won't help. You're nothing to me."

Hitokage narrowed his eyes at Kodowari, and then continued his turn. "You forget your place Kodowari, which is beneath my feet and that of any real duelist. You are just like my Malice Doll of Demise, you exist to be sacrificed to a greater power."

His opponent quivered with rage and Hitokage couldn't help but smile slightly. He knew that such a comment would drag that response from his enemy, and now the fool's rage was making him give off even more energy for Hitokage to consume. _'He will be his own death in this duel.'_

"Now, I set one monster and one magic or trap card face down. You may continue with your "strategy" now." Two more cards appeared on his field, and then Kodowari motioned to his duel disk, which spat a card out to him.

"You think you have power, but you know nothing of real power! I sacrifice Game Console 2 for Game Console 3(1500/5000)!" He sneered at the Obelisk Blue as an even higher-tech version of his game system formed, this one without the cartridge option. Instead it had a space for discs to go.

"Now I activate Game Console 3's effect, and automatically swap its attack and defense points without even a discard! Power Surge attack!" Four individual streams of energy exploded out of the controller spaces and splashed across Hitokage's set monster, blowing it into millions of pieces.

"You destroyed Soul Viewer(0/1400). When destroyed this monster lets me look at the top two cards of my deck. Any monsters among them are summoned to my field." He picked up two cards, and then placed one of them onto his duel disk.

"Sangan(1000/600) is summoned in attack mode." The furball with arms and legs appeared, snarling at Kodowari. The Osiris Red duelist sneered at the weak monster, but because he had already attacked and had no more cards he had to end his turn.

Energy flowed into Hitokage's duel disk even as the scythe-wielding puppet reformed on his field. "I gain four hundred life points, as well as having Malice Doll of Demise special summoned back to my field." (HLP: 5200)

He glanced at his new card, and then reached down to pick up his two monsters and slid them into the graveyard. "I sacrifice both of my monsters to summon Soul Master(2600/2900) in attack mode."

Both monsters vanished and were replaced by a phantasmagoric spellcaster. "Since Sangan went to the cemetery I may search my deck for a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points and add it to my hand."

He fanned through his deck before finding what he wanted, and then he placed it in his hand and returned his deck to its normal position. "This is your final moment Kodowari. I play Soul Reaver, and discard Soul Charger(0/0) for its effect. This lets me take control of your monster, and during each standby phase I gain its attack as life points."

Kodowari grimaced as his Game Console 3 suddenly shattered into a million pieces. "If Game Console 3 leaves my field in any way it is automatically destroyed. Also when it is destroyed all life point damage to me for the rest of the turn is zero."

Hitokage frowned, realizing that he wasn't going to be able to finish his opponent off in this turn, at least not until his next turn. "End turn."

Another card shot out of Kodowari's deck, and he began to laugh as he held it up. "You've fallen into my plot Hitokage! Meet the ultimate gaming system! By removing all the previous ones from the grave I can special summon Game Console X(2000/6000) to the field!"

This new game system was a sleek design that was silver and didn't appear to have any attachments for wires. Everything about it was state of the art, including not needing wires to connect to other systems. "By forfeiting its attack I can have Game Console X deal its defense as damage to one opposing monster, so say goodbye to Soul Master!"

The spectral spellcaster exploded into dust, and Hitokage's life points dropped rapidly. "Since I have no other cards and can't attack, that makes it your turn." (HLP: 1800)

"In my standby phase I gain a total of nineteen hundred life points from the combined effects of Soul Vanishing and Soul Reaver." Energy surged into his duel disk, recovering virtually all of the damage that Kodowari had just inflicted upon him. (HLP: 3700)

"I set one monster face down and end my turn." A single card appeared in front of him, defending his life points.

Kodowari sneered and held up the newest card that he had added to his hand and threw it down onto his duel disk. "Meet the monster version of Enemy Controller, Game Controller(0/0)! It has the same effects as Enemy Controller, but with Game Console X negating life point requirements I'll simply destroy your set monster at no cost!"

Hitokage's set monster shattered, and then it reformed instantly, revealing itself as a small leech creature. "You just destroyed Soul Leech(300/500) who when destroyed may attach to one monster on the field and place it just as out of play as Soul Vanishing does. That includes life point gain."

The other duelist gazed in horror as his ultimate monster fuzzed out of view, leaving him with no way to launch any sort of attack. "I...I end my turn."

"Your Game Console X is a level ten monster, which means I gain twenty-nine hundred life points total. Thank you." Even more energy flooded into his duel disk, setting him far above the life points that he had started with. (HLP: 6600)

"I summon Soul Warden(1800/1500) in attack mode and have it destroy Game Controller." Kodowari grimaced as his last useable monster was blown apart by Hitokage's newest creature. (KLP: 1200)

"I'll still crush you Hitokage! Go Game Chip(500/1000)! And I sacrifice it to destroy one magic or trap card in play. Since Soul Leech is equipped to my monster, I'll destroy it to get rid of it for good!" As the leech was destroyed the game console returned to normal.

"Now, Game Console X activates its effect to blow away Soul Warden." Hitokage frowned as his only monster exploded, leaving him with only a few face up cards as his defense against the impressive strength of his opponent's monster. (HLP: 2400)

"Looks like you're just about finish doesn't it?" Kodowari snickered, knowing that as soon as he won this Darkness Game he could strip Hitokage of his abilities, and that would perfect Kodowari's strength. This was exactly what he needed, and then he'd be able to drain Rikuo and Drake with ease.

"Hmmm...Pot of Greed." Kodowari didn't care even as his opponent drew new cards. Obviously most of what he had been holding was useless, so new cards wouldn't help either. Especially not with his ultimate monster in play. All he cared about was Hitokage's extra life points. (HLP: 4300)

"I activate Monster Reincarnation and discard one card from my hand. In exchange I pick up Soul Master(2600/2900) from the grave. Now I set two cards face down and end my turn." He finished off with just Soul Master in his hand, and Kodowari couldn't help but laugh.

"That's your choice? You need two monsters to summon that, and you have none! You'd have been better off with Sangan, or that Soul Viewer of yours...in fact, why not take back Soul Leech? Bah! And you're an Obelisk Blue! What a laugh!" And he did, laugh that is.

"If you are such a perfect duelist, perhaps you would care to prove my choice wrong. Feel free to begin at any moment." Kodowari snarled at his opponent's cocky attitude and immediately snapped a card off his deck, drawing for only the second time in the duel.

"Since you have no monsters in play I'll have Game Console X use its ability and target you! Crush him!" Energy exploded out of the game system's laser scanner, shooting directly at the Obelisk Blue. However, he merely snapped his fingers.

"Reverse cards open. First up is A Villain Emerges. Normally this would require you to choose a card from my hand, but since I only have one my Soul Master(2600/2900) automatically emerges!" Kodowari's eyes widened as he realized that he had been drawn in, and that Hitokage had known what he was doing all along.

"It doesn't matter, the strike will still crush your monster!" His words died in his mouth as the attack flickered and vanished, leaving Hitokage's monster untouched.

"Dark Tower's Defense lets me give up the top two cards of my deck to negate an attack, so your assault was useless. Now, is that all?" Kodowari snarled and slid the last card in his hand onto his duel disk.

Hitokage slid a card off his deck, but before he could say anything else Kodowari motioned to his set card. "Activate quick-play magic card, Cheat Code-Ability Unlock! Using this I'll activate X's effect and hit you with its defense as damage directly to your life points!"

The Obelisk Blue fell to one knee as energy waves slammed into his body, but then he rose back to his feet almost immediately, still smiling. "Your attempts were pointless. I still survive, and now you are ended." (HLP: 200)

"Ended? What are you talking about? You're the one with just one monster against my mighty creature and you only have two hundred life points left! You're the one who's ended!" Hitokage shrugged and pointed to his Soul Master.

"This is why. Soul Master special ability activates. I sacrifice one face-up Soul Reaver to deal damage to your life points equal to twice the amount of life points I gain from its effect. In other words...you're dead." Kodowari backed away in horror, but was unable to escape as the energy wave struck him and blasted him backwards. (KLP: 0)

The darkness began to fade away as Hitokage approached Kodowari, frowning as he approached. "As punishment for your failure to defeat me, you will be revealed as what you really are and all that you have done in this life will be undone. Fair isn't it?"

Kodowari shook his head and then screamed as the darkness flooded into his body.

Hitokage frowned and poked the empty Osiris Red uniform with his booted foot. Slowly he crouched down and pulled it aside, uncovering a little doll figurine with hairs and arcane figures scrolled on it in blood. "A puppet, exactly as I thought. What a pathetic way to go through life."

With that out of the way he turned on his heel and headed back to the dorms. "That was a nice detour, but at least this island will return to normal from now on."

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_The smoke faded...revealing just two duelists and nothing else. "The duel's over buddy, and now it's time to inflict a true Punishment Game upon you!"_

"_This duel isn't over yet Rikuo. Take at a look at your duel disk and find out." Rikuo frowned and glanced down at the mechanical device. To his surprise it was still activate, and his life points still read exactly as they had previous to his attack._

"_What the hell is this? If the duel isn't over, where did everything go? Why isn't there anything on the field?" In response to this question Drake held his hand over his cemetery slot, and a card was ejected from it. The punk duelist flipped it up, revealing it to Rikuo's keen demonic eyes._

"_My magic card Breakdown can only be activated when there are twenty cards in the cemetery, and can even be played from the grave, but doesn't count itself in the grave. After that one use it is removed and it blows away every card on the opponent's field and in their hand." Rikuo blinked, shocked to see that everything he had gathered was gone, and there was nothing left for the turn that he could do._

"_It's time to turn this duel around Rikuo. I summon Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900) and then I attack you directly!" A beam of white energy hit the wolf demon, but he just shrugged it off. What he still felt was the sheer irritation and rage that came from having his vengeance stripped from him like that. (RLP: 3150)_

"_I set one card face down. Now let's see what you can do Rikuo." A holographic card appeared behind Drake, leaving him with one card left in his hand. _

_The wolf demon drew, his eyes only seeing his Amplifier equip card. He placed the card face down, and then nodded to Drake. "Go and take your turn."_

"_It's almost sad when a powerful duelist like you has come to this. But this is the point of this duel when everything you've worked towards shatters, leaving you with nothing. I've already said that I'll show my innocence, and if it takes winning to show you the truth then I will. Now, Refined Spellweaver(1600/1100) in attack mode!" The well-dressed magician bowed to Drake, and then snapped his wand up in readiness._

"_Refined Spellweaver and Guardian Magician of the Day...attack Rikuo directly! Shatter his last hopes of getting his false vengeance!" Rikuo was blasted onto his back by the double magic attack, and he just stared up into the endless darkness above him. It was just about over now. (RLP: 150)_

'_There's so little left...but I can't let it end now. I have to get revenge for what he did to Eri! I must have vengeance!' Drake couldn't help but smile as he saw the demon stand and reach for his deck. Rikuo certainly had the strength and spirit of a true duelist, and he never gave up. He was just too stubborn to die._

"_You may have me on the ropes but I'm not out yet! It's my turn to return the duel to my favor, and I'm going to blow away any hopes you had of winning when I do so! So it's my turn to draw! Feel the wrath of the wolf demon general, feel the wrath of the top deck, feel the wrath of Rikuo Amero!"_

Rikuo yanked the top card off his deck, and then Refined Spellweaver raised his wand in the air. The area around them changed to a yellowish color. "According to the effect of Refined Spellweaver we now draw until we reach a monster, then all other drawn cards are shuffled into our decks."

Steadily the two drew until each one held the necessary card. But Rikuo wasn't concerned with the monster he had drawn, but rather the other card he had gotten. "You wanted Fenrir's power? You wanted to taste it for yourself so you revived it...well now I'll let you taste its power!"

He slammed his drawn card into his disk, and the ground began to quake as the massive form of Fenrir(4000/4000) started to take shape. "Monster Reborn revives Fenrir, and with his attack power all it will take is one single strike!"

The mighty wolf god roared, shaking the darkness to its core and Drake as well. The punk duelist grimaced as he stared up at the jaws of that beast. _'Damn...'_

"Fenrir, blow away Guardian Magician of the Day and all of Drake's life points!" The wolf god lunged forwards and slashed with its claws, tearing straight through the magician and then into Drake's shoulder, driving him to the ground. (DLP: 1350)

"Sorry Rikuo, but I don't die so easily. My Shrink magic card may not have saved me from damage, but it did save me from losing the duel." He chuckled, pulling himself up to his feet with one hand, while the other held the bloody wound on his shoulder.

"Damn it! Just die already! Fine, take your damned turn, I don't care." He finished his turn by slapping a monster onto his duel disk, and letting it appear face down.

Drake shuddered and drew, glad to see Fenrir fade as quickly as it had reappeared. "Now we draw for magic..."

The two duelists drew, and then Drake moved quickly, knowing that blood loss would soon do some serious damage. Already his energy was being leaked away into the darkness, and he no longer had the focus to draw on Rikuo's rage for power. "I summon Twisted Spellweaver(1800/600) and he attacks your set monster."

"Pretty stupid move Drake. You just flipped the mighty Cyber Jar(900/900)! Now all monsters are blown away, and we pick up five cards. Any level four or lower monsters amongst those are summoned." Drake grimaced as they both picked up five cards and scanned through them.

Rikuo frowned and placed two of his drawn cards onto his duel disk, letting them appear in defense. Drake placed one monster face down, and then slapped the other face-up. "Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600) appears and blasts the right most set monster!"

The wolf demon smirked and held up the recently blasted monster. "You just destroy Nano-Virus(0/0) which means you have to discard your hand until its half the size of mine. So discard until you hold two cards, and all of it at random."

Drake grimaced but was forced to comply. Finally he held up the last two cards and then slid them onto his duel disk. "Two cards face down, and that's all."

Rikuo drew, giving him a total of five cards in his hand. He fanned them out, and then slammed one down onto his duel disk. "I sacrifice my set Mecha Assembler(1500/1500) who counts as two sacrifices for a machine. This lets me summon the mighty Irios the Steel Monarch(2700/2300). And since he's my only attacker...his attack doubles!"

Drake groaned as a fresh burst of pain washed over him, some of it brought on by the coming of the gigantic metallic monstrosity who now had more attack power than virtually any monster could boast. "Irios attacks Skilled Chaos Magician!"

"Activate Shot From The Dark! With it I'll activate Mirage Magic from the grave, negating your attack and giving me fifty-four hundred life points." He sighed with relief...until the energy beam flew straight to Rikuo and into the demon's duel disk.

"Not exactly punk. My Life Theft quick-play lets me steal one life point bonus that my opponent would gain and give it to myself. Now I set two cards face down and end my turn." He smirked and waved the one remaining card in his hand idly back and forth as he waited for Drake to take his turn. (RLP: 5550)

"You want power? Here's mine! Skilled Chaos Magician and his counters are traded in to summon Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)! Then I'll trigger my set Magician's Circle and summon White Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)!" Two leather clad magicians instantly appeared, one in black the other in white.

"Now I activate Magician's Storm and blow away your magic and trap cards!" The wolf demon shrugged and snapped his fingers, causing both of his face down cards to flip up.

"Time Seal prevents you from drawing next turn and Jar of Greed lets me draw one new card. Really you wouldn't have been destroying a threat anyways, so it was a waste of a card." Drake frowned and shook his head, realizing he had just wasted his magic card for nothing. And he had returned it with Black Magician of Chaos.

"I activate Shrink from my hand, and reduce Irios' attack points by half. Now, Black Magician of Chaos blows it away and removes it!" Rikuo grunted as his machine was shattered into a million pieces. (RLP: 4100)

"Now White Magician of Chaos attacks directly! Chaos Scepter Blast!" The sphere of chaotic energy struck Rikuo dead on, but he just pushed back against it and let it strike the ground and explode. (RLP: 1300)

"End turn." He breathed out heavily, praying that it would be enough. Currently he had the advantage, but there was no telling what Rikuo could do given an opportune moment. He was good at that sort of thing.

Rikuo smirked and held up one of his three cards. "I play Soul Exchange, letting me sacrifice monsters on your side of the field for myself at a cost of my battle phase."

"Now, time to introduce you to power. Activate magic card, Emergence from the Lands of the Dead! By discarding one card I can normal summon a monster from my cemetery, and I think I'll sacrifice your three monsters to normal summon Fenrir(4000/4000)!" Drake groaned as once again the behemoth of a wolf arose, and roared its rage at Drake.

"That thing just keeps coming back. I swear it wants to eat me." Rikuo snickered and pointed a thumb at his god.

"Actually, it does. But that will have to wait until my next turn since I have no battle phase. But since you can't draw and the cards you hold are totally useless to you...I guess things won't be a problem for me will they?" Drake could have sworn that Fenrir laughed just like Rikuo did, or at least as much as a gigantic wolf could laugh.

Drake felt his entire body quiver as the blood dripped past his fingers. His vision swam, and in a brief moment he discovered that he was on his knees, not having noticed falling to them. "Damn it...I'm not going to be able to win unless I do what I've been avoiding, and losing isn't an option. Rikuo...this is the last move I would have wanted to make, but it must be done!"

"Bah, there's nothing you can do and you know it! You can't even draw!" Drake shook his head in response and then pulled his deck out of its holder.

"You're wrong Rikuo, because there are two cards in my deck that can be placed into my hand at a cost of my draw phase. Since I don't have one, that makes this perfect. Now, the card I added is summoned. Shadow Manipulator(1400/1200)!" A magician cloaked in shadows materialized, holding the shadows close to his body.

"When this monster is summoned you may take one random card from my deck, and I may do the same from yours. If either of us gets a monster then Shadow Manipulator gains two hundred attack points. Now, make your pick." The two duelists approached each other and fanned out their decks.

Rikuo frowned, and then snatched a card from Drake's deck at random. "Ha! Random or not, this is an excellent draw, but it's not a monster so it doesn't matter. I got your Halt Play magic card, so even if you set cards I can prevent you from playing them."

Drake nodded, his hand hovering over Rikuo's deck. He grimaced, hating what he was doing, knowing that he couldn't avoid it. He could see the terrible aura, and he knew exactly what it was. Closing his eyes he placed his hand on the card and picked it out. "I didn't draw a monster."

They snapped their decks back into position and then walked back to their places. Rikuo whirled around and saw Drake with the card he had gotten hovering right in front of one of the activation slots. "Stop being such a coward and play the card!"

"So be it Rikuo...the card of greatest evil that can be found in your deck, the card that I could feel innately. That power will end this duel just like it ended our last duel! Go, Hell Meteor!" Rikuo's eyes went wide as the massive bell of hellfire formed in the darkness above them and began descending.

At that very same moment another Darkness Game came to a conclusion, and Rikuo's eyes returned to their normal color. He blinked, and then he looked down at Drake. "An illusion? All of it was...false. Then finish me off!"

He beckoned to the meteor and then it struck, exploding with tremendous force and blasting a huge crater into the ground. When the darkness faded away it could be seen that the devastation had even leaked into the real world, and trees had been scorched by the power. "Good game Drake...and in this situation I'm glad I lost." (RLP: 0)

Rikuo marched over to Drake and slapped a hand on the other duelist's back. "Don't think you'll get out of a rematch, because the next duel is mine. Now, it's time to find whoever tricked me and make him pay."

"Sleep now. Find later. On second thought, I think I'll pass out from blood loss, if that's okay with you." Drake hit the ground face first and stopped moving.

"Great...he wins and I still have to drag his lifeless ass around. Pain in the ass, him and all his friends."

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_Next Chapter: Into the Underworld_

Author's Notes: At long last Rikuo vs Drake concludes, and now more plot will be revealed as the gang moves to take on the real challenge. The Underworld of Dueling...

_Review Responses_

John: Potentially more Kuriboh. I happen to like the little furball so he pops up a lot.

WolfGeneral: I had a totally free day, so I got lots of writing done. Plus my tv isn't working so...

Time Mage: Okay, seriously with the Drake thing...shut up. Drake could barely control Fenrir, and Supreme Sage of Balance is NOT a god, therefor anyone can control it. The cannon isn't targeted, so Fenrir couldn't save itself. Also, Hitokage has personality, he's just a very calm and relaxed person. And full of himself.

Gryphinwyrm7: A whole month? Where are you going? At the time I wrote the duel I didn't have the info on Davis' Tri-Armor cards, but they will probably show up in his next duel.

G.O.T. Nick: You were right, he shouldn't have acted so confident. Also, I would like to say that the GS2 and PS3 thing was deliberate, but it wasn't, because I've had the Game Console set planned for a while now.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Hitokage: Attack Leeching, Soul Viewer(WG), Soul Master(WG), Soul Reaver(WG), Soul Charger(WG), Soul Leech, Soul Warden(WG), A Villain Emerges(WG), Dark Tower's Defense(WG)

Kodowari: Game Console 3, Game Console X, Game Controller, Game Chip, Cheat Code-Ability Unlock, Emergence from the Lands of the Dead(WG), Hell Meteor(WG)

Rikuo: Fenrir(WG), Nano-Virus, Mecha Assembler, Irios the Steel Monarch(WG), Life Theft

Drake: Twisted Spellweaver, Skilled Chaos Magician, Shot From The Dark, White Magician of Chaos, Shadow Manipulator, Halt Play

**Anime Cards**

Drake: Mirage Magic, Magician's Circle


	18. Into the Underworld

Author's Notes: Onwards we go!

_**Chapter Seventeen: Into the Underworld**_

"Father, you're friend is not who he claims to be. Just take a look at this." Eri threw down a computer printing of a paper article in front of the elder wolf demon's face. Rikuo blinked and then picked it up.

"Up and coming young duelist wins Junior Division Championships...yeah? So what?" Eri growled in irritation and motioned for him to continue reading.

"Young Umiko shocked audiences by plowing through older opponents in the Junior Division Championships with her deadly skill and cards. When asked where she gained such strength as a duelist, she replied: "My dad has been a great influence on me and he taught me everything I know about Duel Monsters. Without him I never would have made it this far."

Rikuo glanced up at his daughter questioningly, but once again she motioned for him to continue his reading. "After hearing this we asked her father Daisuke how he felt about his daughter's success. He replied by saying: "I'd say that I couldn't be happier, but I know she's going to try for higher levels soon enough, and I know she'll do great. I know she's going to keep making me happier because she never gives up."

"Daisuke? So what, it's probably just a coincidence." Eri growled at him and picked up the scrap and flipped it over. There on the back was the continuation of the article and a picture of the daughter standing next to her father.

Rikuo stared at it blankly, despite recognition. The man with his arm around the young teenage girl could have been the spitting image of Drake so long as you added a number of years to him. "You see? This man is in his thirties, just like the kid you faced back then should be. This new guy...he looks like he's eighteen. This picture is from two months ago, so the only explanation is that this guy is not Daisuke Ihachi the guy that you faced all those years ago."

Both wolf demons turned their heads to look down at the teenager lying in one of the school's hospital beds. Nearby his companion Kai was in bed as well with bandages wrapped around his stomach. "Very interesting. When he wakes up it looks like we'll have to talk."

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"Yeah, what do you want?" The greasy haired man continued chewing his tobacco, shooting a glare at the two people in front of him. In the meantime he leaned up against the door and fingered the duel disk that sat behind him.

Daniel and Ryu shared a glance, and then turned back to the man. "The Underworld of Dueling. That's why we've come. We want to enter."

The greasy haired fellow smirked and pulled out the duel disk and slipped it onto his arm. "You think you're good enough? Well, I hope you know what you're getting into. Each of you must defeat me to get in through this entrance. Which one of you fools is first to face my wrath?"

Ryu sighed and stepped forward, turning on his duel disk. "I don't have time to waste on flunkies like you, so let's get this over with. Draw your cards so I can finish you off."

"You're gonna wish you never dared to come to the Underworld of Dueling!"

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Fifteen minutes later he stumbled back against the door in horror as his life points dropped to zero. "Errr...fine, you can enter. But your little friend has to beat me as well if he wants in!"

Daniel grimaced and loaded his deck into his duel disk. "I won't waste any energy against you by playing easily, I'm going all out from turn one. This time the bell tolls for thee."

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The greasy haired man collapsed to the ground, his eyes rolling back into his head, the sound of a ringing bell still in his ears. Ryu and Daniel stepped over him and pulled open the door and then began to descend the steps walking into the darkness.

"Into the Underworld we go."

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"And you're absolutely sure you want to do this?" Davis nodded to his wife, and then they both stepped out of the car. They now stood in front of what looked like a regular warehouse, but they knew the truth.

They started to walk to the entrance, but suddenly a woman dressed in gothic garb stepped out of the shadow. "Where do you two think you're going?"

"Into the Underworld of course." The woman chuckled and raised her arm, revealing a duel disk.

"Not without defeating me you aren't. And cutey, I think you'll be the first to fall."

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Asriel smirked and returned her duel disk to its starting position. After Davis had beaten the woman it hadn't been that hard for her to win as well. "You're good, but you were no match for Pendragon the Lightning. Sorry, and thanks for playing."

The gothic woman groaned and collapsed, letting them walk right past her and into the door. Now it was time for them to head downwards into the Underworld of Dueling.

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"You aren't Daisuke Ihachi." The response to this comment was simple blinking, until the same paper was tossed in front of him.

"Ah. Well, I guess that means I have to explain everything." Rikuo folded his arms over his chest and glared down at the injured duelist.

"You certainly do. Now start talking." Drake nodded, and then looked over to some of the others for support.

"If you remember, I said the reason I looked like this was magic. Well, that's true. See, we aren't exactly from around here. We're...from another dimension." When he finished speaking, Rikuo and Eri shared a confused look and then turned back to him.

"Another dimension? What exactly does that mean? And how does that explain why you barely look older than when we faced each other?" Drake shrugged and then pointed over to his large friend, Dalin.

"That's the guy you should ask, he's the one who figured out how to bring us here by traveling partially through the lands of the dead." Now the two wolf demons turned to face Dalin, who arched an eyebrow at the sudden attention.

"It's simple. Dimensional travel isn't like walking through a door, it's like navigating through a windy river. We simply wound up farther up shore than we anticipated. Now that I know I can navigate that river successfully, so the problem is ended." And with that he was finished speaking, giving them a look that said he brooked no argument.

Rikuo growled and threw his arms up in the arm in frustration. "Fine! Different dimension, whatever, I don't care anymore. Let's just get this crap over with and find whatever it is that's screwing with us and kick its ass. Agreed?"

There was a chorus of agreement, and then they huddled in and began to share the knowledge they had gained.

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Asriel and Davis hit the wall and a jet of flame shot by directly where they had just been standing. "And this is how they normally duel? They're all psychotic! They have to go through a maze with traps just to reach their duels!"

"That's correct, this is how we normally duel. And if you want to progress any farther you'll have to defeat me, second level of the guard. And I won't be so easy to defeat as that fool you faced outdoors. Now, which of you wants to go first?" Asriel stepped up and unfolded her duel disk, ready for action. (ALP: 4000)

The man smirked and unfolded his own duel disk, his life points rising as he did so. "I hope you're ready to lose girl, because I can guarantee that this won't take that long. I am Jeremiah and you're going to lose." (JLP: 4000)

Jeremiah did a little quick work and drew six cards total, then held them up so he could see them. Asriel narrowed her eyes and did the same, only drawing five cards instead of six. "Ah, perfect start. I summon Tribute Ghoul(700/900) in defense mode and set one card face down. Go ahead."

His monster was a little brown gremlin which stared up at Asriel fearfully. She frowned and looked over her cards, and then made a decision. "I summon Command Knight(1200/1900) in attack mode who boosts all warriors by four hundred. Now it attacks Tribute Ghoul!"

Jeremiah smirked as his face down card flipped up, and three robed figures appeared to block the strike. Asriel grimaced and selected more cards to play. "Waboku huh? Fine, I set one card face down and end my turn."

"First I start with Mystical Space Typhoon to shatter your set card. And then I sacrifice Tribute Ghoul to summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch(2400/1000)! His tribute effect blows up your monster, and Tribute Ghoul lets me draw two cards since it was tributed."

Asriel's eyes widened as the mighty monster blew apart her lone monster, leaving her field empty. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and noticed Davis seemed irritated. "If you manage to defeat me, you'll regret playing that card. My husband doesn't appreciate it."

"It hardly matters! My Elemental Monarchy Deck is a tough foe to defeat. Zaborg, attack her directly!" Asriel grimaced as bolts of electricity slammed into her body at maximum intensity, singing her badly. She struggled to remain upright as more than half of her life points drained away. (ALP: 1600)

Jeremiah smirked and placed two of his cards onto his duel disk in order to protect his monarch. Asriel shuddered and drew, and a quick look at her hand told her all she needed to know. "I play Brain Control and take command of your Zaborg. Then I play Knight's Emblem which grants him the title of a knight for one turn."

Zaborg shifted over to her side of the field, and then a shield appeared in one hand and a sword in the other. "Next I trigger Heavy Storm to blow away your set cards."

Jeremiah's eyes widened as the tables turned on him all of a sudden, leaving him completely open. "Now I equip him with Knight's Fury which doubles his attack points as long as he has 'knight' in his name. Then the finish, Knight's Thunder Shock!" (JLP: 0)

Jeremiah was thrown backwards and came skidding to a halt a dozen feet away, a shocked expression on his face. Asriel shook her head in disgust returned her duel disk to its normal position. "Now it's time you face my husband's wrath, and I don't think you're going to like it."

His eyes widened as a very angry looking Davis stepped forward, his duel disk already in place. "Someone close to me used that set, and for using it for darkness I'm going to make you pay. Now stand and duel!"

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Ryu shook his head and held up motioned to his field card, Fusion Gate. "I initiate the effect of Fusion Gate and fuse together Grand Emperor Typherious and Infernus the Pyro Dragon in order to create...Grand Pyrus Dragon-Envoy of the Tempest(7000/10000)!"

Daniel whistled in awe at the sight of the enormous dragon that was crammed into the small hallway. Ryu's opponent stared at it in horror and backed away, knowing that his Dark Ruler Hades(2450/1600) was no match for it. "Grand Pyrus Dragon attacks!" (LP: 0)

Daniel stepped up and patted the dragon demon on the shoulder, grinning down at the fallen duelist. "Seeing you in action makes me glad that you're on my side, because you can be really scary, you know that right?"

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"You can't come and that's final. Now return to your dorm!" The rest of the group held back as Rikuo finished explaining all of the various reasons why his daughter wouldn't be accompanying them.

From Eri's point of view this was rather unfair since her father's various reasons were all "Because I said so." Since this was the case she was forced to stomp away in a very pissed off manner that said that she would be complaining later.

Kai sighed and looked at the rest of his companions as they waited. "You don't think it's a sign that we're doing this on the fifteenth of March do you?"

There was no reply whatsoever. "You know...the Ides of March?"

Still no reply. He sighed and turned away in annoyance. "I swear nobody ever knows anything about history these days."

Off to the side Kirani was fussing over Drake, who was currently wearing lots of bandages over his shoulder wound underneath a plain black long-sleeved shirt. "Are you sure you want to come along? It's going to be a strain to duel with your shoulder like that, especially since your duel disk goes on that arm. It's not a light device after all."

"I appreciate the concern Kirani but I've taken a lot of worse injuries and still kept going and dueling, so I can do so now. Even if it breaks open during a duel it's not like blood loss is gonna kill me." At that moment Kai took the time to look back over his shoulder and add a comment.

"But didn't you say once that blood loss was one of the major aspects that contributed to your brief death in Battle City?" Drake grimaced as Kirani eyeballed him cooly, obviously calculating what her next step would be now that she had this information.

"This is revenge for that Isis comment isn't it?" Kai just smiled slightly and turned back to wait for the boat that was going to take them off the island.

Up ahead Rikuo couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. "Weirdos, every last one of them is a total weirdo."

"Come on, let me put some ointment on it at the very least." There followed a yelp, causing Rikuo to chuckle again.

"Spread the damned ointment, don't stick it into my shoulder!"

"Sit still you baby or it'll just be worse!"

"I said don't stick your fingers in it! It stings!"

Rikuo sighed and dropped his head into his palms, shaking his head slowly. "And these people are going to save the world? We're all doomed."

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A muscular man with long-blonde hair who bore a suspicious resemblance to Fabio stood directly in front of an underground club entrance. Standing in front of him was a group of five strange people, all of them demanding entrance to the Underworld of Dueling.

"I can't believe you think you can even get past the first guard, me the mighty Fazio!" He laughed and flexed his muscles, kissing his biceps as he did so.

His posturing was halted when one of the men in the backed stepped up, revealing himself to be taller and even more muscular than Fazio was. "Sumatin! I had no idea these people were with you sir! But you know procedure, first I must duel them regardless to prove their strength."

Dalin paused, and then motioned for them to step up. "Very well, duel them all. I guarantee you won't win even a single duel." With that said he leaned up against the wall and folded his arms, watching them like a hawk.

Rikuo narrowed his eyes at the big man, but not knowing what to do about it he simply activated his duel disk. "Give me your best you crappy-ass Fabio-imitation, and let's get this duel over with." (RLP: 4000)

"The great Fazio does not lose!" (FLP: 4000)

_Fifteen minutes later..._

"I can't believe the great Fazio lost!" (FLP: 0, RLP: 2300)

"Bah, get used to it, because a new trend has just started."

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Forty-five minutes later the entire group descended a flight of stars and found themselves running through a metallic maze full of booby-traps. Watching them from a control booth was a very muscular man who bore a striking resemblance to one of those on screen.

"Interesting...prepare things for them. If they get past the other guards they will face the top tier of our duelists. Whoever is available may choose their targets, but I reserve that one. He and I will duel, because if I am right then he will be the one to push me to my limits, the only one capable of doing so."

As he turned and walked away to begin preparations he didn't notice a blonde girl complete a duel with Fazio and enter the complex. She snickered and slipped down the steps, heading after the party. "Sumatin-senpai, I'll stay with you no matter what. Alice doesn't back down so easily!"

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_Next Chapter: Two Warrior Souls_

Author's Notes: Now we get to the biggest meat of the story. Probably lamb, but I'm not sure. Depends on if you're kosher or not.

_Review Responses_

WolfGeneral: Rikuo's deck is fun to work with, so it wasn't hard.

Time Mage: I talked to you about this, so no need to say anything about it here.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Jeremiah: Tribute Ghoul

Asriel: Knight Emblem, Knight's Fury

Ryu: Grand Pyrus Dragon-Envoy of the Tempest(WG), Infernus the Pyro Dragon(WG), Grand Emperor Typherious(WG)

**Anime Cards**


	19. Two Warrior Souls

Author's Notes: The first step in a series of multiple duels till the end. Cheers!

_**Chapter Eighteen: Two Warrior Souls**_

Davis and Asriel collapsed against the metal wall, breathing heavily. The last arrows had already finished firing behind them and they were glad to have made it through that most recent challenge. "I stand by it, these people are just psychotic."

"It's good to know how you feel Davis Coffin, because you're going to have to get a bit crazy yourself if you want to make it through this chamber to the inner sanctum." Suddenly lights burst down upon them, and they discovered themselves in a large circular steel chamber with plexiglass windows up at the top.

The two of them blinked and stared at the gathered crowd in surprise. Sitting behind the plexiglass had to be a few hundred people, all of them in expensive clothing and staring down a them. But more importantly was the man standing across from them wearing a duel disk. "Kensai!"

"That's correct, and I will be your opponent in this chamber. As these paying fans watch on and place their bets we will duel. If you lose then you remain here forever, but if you win you can move forwards." He held up his duel disk and slammed his deck into place. The crowd cheered.

"Fine, so be it, but this time I'll defeat you! Asriel, wait over there while I deal with this...it's something I have to do. Then we'll move on." She started to walk off to the side, but was startled when Kensai took a giant leap and landed directly in front of her, barring her path.

"What's your problem? I'm just trying to have a seat, I'm not trying to leave." Kensai turned his head, and when Asriel saw how dead serious he looked she took a step back.

"I'm afraid that I can't allow that. To pass through this chamber at all I must be defeated. Now these spectators want a show, and I can't think of any better way to give them one than to have a two on one duel...if you're up to it." Asriel and Davis looked at each other, and then at once they raised and activated their duel disks.

"You're on!" (DLP: 4000, ALP: 4000)

Kensai walked over to his previous position about twenty feet away from them across the chamber. Opposite him Asriel and Davis stood side-by-side with about six feet difference between them. "In order to even things out I will start with double life points, have two draws each turn, and get two normal summons each turn. Now, let's duel!" (KLP: 8000)

Asriel nodded to her husband and then snapped five cards off her deck, and then a sixth. "I think I'll take first turn. Now, let's see what I can do!"

She held the six cards up in front of her face and scanned them over to decide exactly what she wanted to do. "I start by summoning Familiar Knight(1200/1400) in attack mode. That'll be it for me."

Davis frowned at his wife, knowing the monster's effect but not knowing why she wanted to risk it. He too looked over his hand and decided on the appropriate course of action. _'This double summon thing is going to give Kensai a great advantage since warrior decks partially revolve around bum rushing the field, so I have to play carefully.'_

"I set one monster in defense mode and play one card down behind it. Then I turn the duel over to you Kensai." He nodded briefly to his wife, and then they both returned to focus on Kensai who had just drawn two cards.

Kensai fanned out his seven cards and then smirked slightly. "You two...I'll play you're game. Now, watch and learn because first I set one monster in defense mode. Then I summon Dark Blade(1800/1500) in attack mode!"

The dark armored monster appeared holding its twin scimitars in an attack position. "Dark Blade now attacks Familiar Knight!" The armored warrior charged forwards and slashed his blade through Familiar Knight, which folded over, blood spurting from its opened stomach. (ALP: 3400)

Asriel frowned at the more graphic death of her monster, but her confidence returned when she remember why she had summoned Familiar Knight. "Familiar Knight's special effect now allows each player to special summon a level four monster from their hand."

Each of the three duelist took a card from their hand and slammed them down onto their respective disks, and three separate holographic images began to be created. Davis motioned to his field as a blonde man with a sword formed. "Neo the Magical Swordsman(1700/1000) in attack mode!"

Asriel smirked as a massive metallic dragon formed in front of her and roared at Kensai's monsters. "Rare Metal Dragon(2400/1200) is a level four with one draw back, he can't be normal summoned. But Familiar Knight took care of that, so now I have the strongest monster!"

Kensai suddenly threw back his head and laughed, and when his monster appeared they understood why. It was a soldier covered in gleaming silver armor, and holding a massive laser sword in his right hand. "Using knights you should know that many knights not only battle with dragons...but befriend them as well, becoming companions to them. Now, meet your dragon's companion, Rare Metal Knight(2400/1200)!"

The husband and wife team grimaced, realizing that now he had equal power to themselves. "Now, Rare Metal Knight will cut down Neo the Magical Swordsman!"

Davis held up his arms to shield his eyes as the knight slashed his spellcaster apart, turning it into holographic dust that pelted him. "No..." (DLP: 3300)

"Now, since we've settled that, I think I'll set one card face down and end it at that. Do try and do a little better would you?" He smirked and waved to Asriel, who growled and drew.

"Think you're good huh? We'll see. I summon Hayabusa Knight(1000/700) in defense mode." A falcon holding a rapier and with a cape stepped out from the card and dropped into a crouch.

"Next I set one magic or trap card face down. Now, Rare Metal Dragon attacks Dark Blade!" The dragon breathed out a stream of flame, melting Dark Blade into nothing but scrap metal and a skeleton. The crowd cheered at the violence. (KLP: 7400)

'_That seemed too easy. Why is he so confident?'_

"You've fallen prey to my trap. Activate continuous trap card, Tide of Battle! This trap activates whenever one of my warriors is destroyed in battle. The destroyed monster is removed from the game and its attack is added to my life points. So, charge me with your strength Dark Blade!" A spirit burst out of the skeleton and then was absorbed into Kensai's disk. (KLP: 9200)

She grimaced and folded her hand up, knowing that she couldn't continue her turn. It was up to Davis to see if he could undo what she had done. _'Come on Davis, let's see that skill of yours in action.'_

Davis drew, and at the sight of the card he began to smirk. He knew this wouldn't entirely help them, but he knew it would be better than just letting their opponent have a complete advantage. _'Time try a combo.'_

"I flip summon D.D. Trainer(100/2000). Then I offer him to Tribute Doll in order to summon the Dark Magician(2500/2100) who has more power than your knight!" His monster faded away, giving birth to the extremely familiar and well known purple-clad magician.

"Your monster is stronger, but he can't face me yet, so I see no point to this." Kensai seemed impatient, and the crowd seemed to be on his side, unimpressed by Davis' moves. His wife on the other hand knew what he was up to.

"You think so? Well get ready to meet real strength! I activate my set card, Call of the Haunted to revive Neo! Then I sacrifice him to summon Flame Swordsman(1800/1600)!" A Japanese warrior in blue and red appeared, brandishing an impressive looking sword.

Kensai's eyes widened as he suddenly understood. The crowd however remained ignorant. "So that's your plan. Don't tell me you already have the final key piece in your hand!"

"Alright, I won't tell you. Instead I'll activate it! Polymerization, fuse these two monsters together in order to create...Dark Flare Knight(2200/800) in attack mode!" The combined form of the two monsters emerged, with a sword in one hand and shield in the other.

Asriel pumped her fist into the air, overjoyed at his success at summoning the bringer of one of his best monsters. "Now, Dark Flare Knight attacks Rare Metal Knight and is destroyed, giving birth to the ultimate monster who is able to strike down any foe! Mirage Knight(2800/2000)!"

The air in front of Davis seemed to ripple, and from that ripple was given birth a man with long blue hair and golden armor. In his two hands he held an extraordinarily long scythe with which he could crush any enemy. "Mirage Knight, destroy Rare Metal Knight!"

The knight charged forwards, power surging upwards as its effect kicked in and boosted its attack by twenty-four hundred, giving it a grand total of five thousand two hundred attack points. In one sweep it crushed the opposing knight. "Your efforts are mostly in vain, because I gain back most of what I just lost!" (KLP: 8800)

"In vain? I sincerely doubt it. I activate the special ability of Mirage Apprentice(500/800) from my deck, by sending it to the cemetery I can prevent Mirage Knight from being removed from the game! Now I have the ultimate monster in play, even if it cost my entire hand." He stood strong and proud, his deadly monster still remaining despite its after effect.

Kensai smirked and slid two more cards off his deck, instantly bumping his hand back up to five cards. "I hope you're ready to feel the pain of loss. I flip up Kamikaze Warrior(400/900) who instantly destroys one monster in play...and I target Mirage Knight!"

Davis grimaced and held his hand out to his deck, which instantly spat a card out which he caught. "I discard another Mirage Apprentice to the grave to keep Mirage Knight in play!"

"Well played Davis, but it won't save you. I activate Brain Control!" Both Davis and Asriel gasped in horror as the giant brain formed and shot its arms across the field. The crowd roared in excitement, knowing that the tide was going to turn further.

"No...Mirage Knight!" But his despair turned to confusion when the brain's hands latched onto...Rare Metal Dragon.

"You think far too much about your own strategies and not enough about your opponent's. Now, didn't I say that my monster and this one were companions? Well, time to make up for that with Hand Grasping From the Abyss, which takes one removed from play monster and puts it in my hand!" He held up Rare Metal Knight and added it back into his hand.

Kensai eyed his two opponent's gaging their reactions, and he could see they knew what was coming. "I can see it in your eyes that you understand. Activate Polymerization, combining both together to form Rare Metal Dragon-Knight(2800/2400)!"

The creature that emerged was simply Rare Metal Knight seated on the back of Rare Metal Dragon, all in all not looking fantastically impressive. Asriel scoffed at the new creature. "It doesn't matter that its power is equal to Mirage Knight's it can't destroy it!"

"Is that the case? Well, my monster begs to differ. Activate special ability, Rare Metal Crush!" The dragon stomped its feet, sending shockwaves across the field. Asriel and Davis were tossed off their feet, and so were Mirage Knight and Hayabusa Knight, both beginning to break apart.

Davis groaned and tossed another card into the graveyard, and his Mirage Knight caught itself. Hayabusa Knight however was blown away. "When summoned the Rare Metal Dragon-Knight destroys all other monsters in play with an attack strength equal to or less than its own, which includes my own Kamikaze Warrior."

"It doesn't matter, since I just got rid of the last apprentice to keep my Mirage Knight alive, and no monster can defeat it in battle." Kensai just chuckled and began to wave the last two cards in his hand back and forth.

"These cards say otherwise. It's time to play, because I sacrifice Rare Metal Dragon-Knight to summon Knight of Chaos(2450/200) who instantly removes one monster on the field from the game and adds half its attack power to my life points!" As the Mirage Knight faded away, it seemed that their hopes faded as well, with the rise of this green armored teen foot tall warrior. (KLP: 10200)

Davis stared at his opponent in horror as he realized the truth that he hadn't realized before. "You...you held back against me...didn't you?"

"That's right Davis, and I'm sorry, but I wanted a fair duel, so I only used part of my strength. Now that we continue, that face down card of yours fair Asriel...that's Knight's Shield I wager, so I think I'll attack Davis directly!" Davis screamed in pain as the green knight slammed a spear into his side, sending him hurtling back and into the solid steel wall. (DLP: 850)

"DAVIS!" Asriel ran to his side, and helped prop him up where he lay against the wall, groaning in pain. She turned her eyes upon Kensai, and he saw them blaze with a great deal of anger.

"Kensai! You call yourself a warrior, say that you have the soul of a warrior, but how is this a warrior's way! How is this fair, damaging Davis like this!" Kensai frowned, and then shook his head, fire burning in his eyes.

"This IS the way of a warrior, to unleash one's strength against an opponent, regardless of the damage it causes! Should you strike me I too will take similar damage as our system has been set-up to have the Solid Vision System at 200! That means that damage is almost completely real!" Asriel's eyes widened even farther as she looked back at her husband, who was unconcious and bleeding.

"Pain...that's the way you feel like dueling? I watched you two duel and thought that it was amazing that two people with warrior's souls could face each other like that...but now I think Davis is the only one here with a warrior's soul, and if I have to beat you myself to prove it I will, now it's my turn!" She snapped a card off her deck, and then added it to her hand.

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"That girl's got heart...but against even this dimension's Kensai I don't know that she can win. He's a powerful duelist, and here he seems just as strong if not stronger." Drake and Kirani shared a look, both of them watching the duel from the monitor that they had discovered. The rest of the group was also watching.

Rikuo grimaced, recognizing the duelist and his wife. _'Bastard, you were right all those years ago, our daughters are friends...so you better not lose now! Not when...no, you can't lose! So win or I'll have to kick your ass myself!'_

In another part of the complex Ryu and Daniel had also stopped to watch the duel on a monitor that seemed specifically set-up for them to watch it. That of course meant that they were known to be there, but that wasn't a surprise.

Daniel also recognized both duelists, and was highly worried about them. _'After what I've seen you go through, I know you can come through this. So be okay, I know you can be! Come on Davis, get up and fight!'_

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Asriel held up her card and revealed a stylized Ankh, one of the most widely used cards in the game. "Monster Reborn revives Dark Magician!"

The purple robed monster appeared and cross his arms over his chest. "Now, I activate Knight's Title, transforming him into Dark Magician Knight(2500/2100) whose special effect instantly destroys your monster!"

Kensai frowned as his one monster faded away, leaving him completely defenseless. And since it had been destroyed by an effect and not by battle he couldn't do anything about it. "Very impressive play. Is there anything else you'd like to do?"

"Yes...how about I attack you directly! Dark Magic Slash!" Kensai casually stepped to the side as the knight swung his sword, sending a dark wave of energy at the warrior. The energy attack collided with the steel, denting it but doing little else. (KLP: 7700)

"So, you just dodge? How is that fair?"

"A warrior uses whatever methods he can to win. Nobody said dodging an attack was illegal, it's just that your husband was unable to. Now, if your turn is over...I believe it is Davis' turn." Silence fell on the crowd as they began to wait for the fallen duelist to take his turn.

Asriel crouched down by her husband, holding onto his arm tightly. "Come on Davis, I know you can get up. You've gotten hit by worse than this before!"

Yet on the inside she knew that this time it was different, because this time he didn't have the same power he used to. Now he was plain old Davis Coffin, an archeologist with no extraordinary powers. "No matter what you have to get up!"

Suddenly a voice calm on over the loud speakers hanging overhead. "If the subject Davis Coffin does not draw a card in the next minute he will be automatically disqualified from this duel, counting as a forfeit. That is our final ruling."

Asriel turned on Kensai, her fists clenched in anger as she glared at him. "Where's the honor in that? What kind of warrior accepts a win by default?"

Kensai frowned and looked up at the loud speakers...and then he looked back down at the ground. "I'm sorry...but I don't make the rules for this duel. I am as much bound by them as you are. In this situation there is nothing I can do...except one thing."

He turned his gaze towards Davis, and then he smiled. "Davis Coffin, you truly do have a warrior's soul. Even without the power that I took away you are still a true warrior, a hero to the very depths of your soul. Now rise and show me that warrior's soul as it faces mine in combat!"

The crowd booed in protest, upset that their champion was in fact supporting one of his opponent's when they wanted to see him stay down. Kensai snapped his head up and gazed around at the audience in a rage. "Is this how it is? You turn against me the moment you do not approve of my actions? You bloodthirsty animals!"

He made a single punching motion with his hand and the plexiglass straight ahead exploded inwards, spraying glass on many of the members of the audience. A number of them went down with nasty cuts, bleeding badly. "There! There is your blood! Now, feast upon it as you would feast upon this noble warrior's blood or be silent and let me duel!"

Murmurs flooded through the crowd, but slowly they died down and they returned to where they had been, letting him continue. Unfortunately it wasn't the final interruption. "Twenty seconds remain before Davis Coffin is considered disqualified."

Both Kensai and Asriel turned to watch Davis, who lay prostrate on the ground, his back up against the solid steel walls of the chamber. "_Rise...Rise...Rise_...Rise...Rise...Rise...**Rise...Rise...Rise...Rise...RISE...RISE...RISE! RISE! RISE!"**

The chant rose and rose as soon the easily swayed crowd joined in their verse. And even then they were far from alone, because outside of the complex those that watched the duel were also chanting for him to get back up, to rise. Even those who didn't know him wanted him to stand up and continue the duel.

Those chants began to die down as slowly and steadily Davis began to inch his way up, using the wall as a brace for his back. "I...don't back down...just because of injuries. I'm still in this!" (DLP: 850)

Kensai and Davis shared a smile, but it was interrupted when Asriel threw her arms around her husband, squeezing him tightly. "Oh thank God! For a second there I thought you were a goner!"

Davis returned the hug, and then the husband and wife duo released each other and returned to their places in the dueling ring. "My wife is right, the Lord is to be thanked for his revival. No matter if I have the power of the Light with me or not...I am still Davis Coffin, and I still have my faith!"

He drew, and Kensai's eyes narrowed as he began to feel his opponent's very soul pulsing. Davis held up his card, and then his eyes met Kensai's. "My faith is my power, and it has rewarded me with Pot of Greed!"

He drew another pair of cards and took a good look at them. "You burned through a lot of cards to deal me that damage, and even with a double draw few people would risk that. I don't think you did it merely because you're confident in your draw...so let's see what you've got? Activate Exchange!"

The two duelists approached each other and immediately handed each other the only card that they each held. Then without looking at the cards they walked back to their previous positions. "Regardless of what you gave me, I know it was for the best, because I just gave you Life Grant, a magic card that activates when the opponent gets one of my cards in any way, including itself. Instantly I gain two thousand life points!"

Kensai was passive even as energy was pumped out of the card he held and into Davis' body, stitching up some of his wounds and undoing some of the previous damage. The crowd whistled in amazement as he undid virtually all of the previous damage. "I never like my opponent to have my cards, so this card is insurance in case they try to take my monsters." (DLP: 2850)

He then tilted up the card, and chuckled in amusement at what he saw. "I wouldn't have been able to play this card if not for Life Grant, so I have to thank you. Go, King's Ransom! At a cost of one thousand of my life points I can draw four cards!" (DLP: 1850)

Instantly he drew four new cards, and then he examined his options. "My wife has started the trend, now I'll continue it. Mataza the Zapper(1300/800) in attack mode! And this time he will succeed. Mataza, double direct attack!"

To their surprise Kensai dodged both attacks with no momentum lost. He simply rolled his shoulder to avoid the first strike, and then bent backwards to avoid the return sweep. Mataza grimaced and jumped back to Davis, job completely only partially. "Wow...you are good!" (KLP: 5100)

"Indeed I am. Is that all for your move?" Davis nodded and slid two of his three remaining cards onto his duel disk, giving him a way to defend himself so he didn't end up like he was just a turn previous.

Kensai didn't even hesitate as he drew his two new cards, and he held them up to see what they were. "Very interesting. I set two monsters face down and end my turn."

Asriel narrowed her eyes at the two set monsters, but knew that she couldn't afford to not attack while they had the opportunity. "I play the field magic card Sword In The Stone, which boosts all monsters with 'knight' in their title by five hundred points."

Dark Magician Knight smirked as his power raised to the level of a Blue Eyes, but he was the only monster to get the bonus. "Dark Magic Slash!"

The warrior duelist picked up his monster and slid it to the cemetery, but instantly his life points rose. "Anti-Riot Knight(900/2300) may have died, but he helps reinforce my life points." (KLP: 6000)

Since that was all for her, Davis took his opportunity to draw. He looked at his options, and then made a choice. "Thanks for the help Mataza, but now I trade you in to summon Dark Magician Girl(2000/1700)!"

The attractive blonde spellcaster appeared and did a little spin, posing for the spectators. They clapped in appreciation for the show, particularly the male members of the audience. "I have Dark Magician in the graveyard, so her attack raises by three hundred."

She 'hmphed' as her power rose, bringing her closer to matcher her master in attack points if not defense points. "Dark Magician Girl, attack that set monster with Dark Burning Attack!"

Pink rays of light slammed into the set monster. It struggled against the flow, but was quickly crushed by the power of the attack. "Your attack has successfully defeated Zombyra the Dark Hero(2100/500), but unluckily for you he has quite a number of attack points." (KLP: 8100)

"That's all for now. Your turn Kensai."

The warrior duelist nodded and picked up two cards off his deck. Now he had those two cards and his continuous trap card Tide of Battle, an that was all. "This party is just getting started, but before I can bring out the main guests I have to settle for just cutting down your life points farther. First I set a monster..."

He placed the card face down, and its representation was created holographically. "Now I sacrifice it to summon Psycho Shocker Knight(2400/1500)!"

The monster that he summoned looked almost identical to Jinzo, only its armor was more medieval and less futuristic, and in addition it held a laser sword in its right hand and an energy shield in its left. "When tribute summoned Psycho Shocker Knight annihilates all of my opponent's trap cards, and gains 100 attack for each one."

Asriel and Davis both grimaced as their face down cards shattered, and Psycho Shocker Knight rose to twenty-seven hundred attack power, making him the second strongest monster in play. "In addition to that I had sacrifice Battle-Weary Knight(1500/1000) who counts as being destroyed through battle anytime he goes to the grave for all effects. So that's more life points." (KLP: 9600)

"Now...since your card is a field card my monster gains an additional five hundred attack points, giving him the attack power advantage! And now it's time to take back this duel and cut your monsters down to size. Psycho Shocker Knight...attack!"

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_Next Chapter: Warrior's Tomb_

Author's Notes: Looks like Davis and Asriel are in a tight spot. Next time you'll get to find out what method they have of fighting back against Kensai's true strength and his ultimate monster! Get ready, because here they come!

_Review Responses_

WolfGeneral: Some of the fusions you made for Ryu are just plain scary you know that?

Time Mage: 1. I didn't mention the three-way because it had to do with Drake's first trip to this dimension, not the second. 2. The name is Umiko, that is foreshadowing, and you can't know the deck type. 3. Masue's identity will be revealed in 4 more chapters when he returns.

John: A lot of defeats. And personally I think Alice is psychotically obsessive.

Gryphinwyrm7: I hope this was tasty meat, particularly since it starred your husband and wife duo.

G.O.T. Nick: Futarama is awesome...but that's not the point. No, I plan on referring to one as Sumatin and the other as Dalin. That should cover the problem.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Asriel: Sword In The Stone(G)

Davis: Mirage Apprentice, Life Grant

Kensai: Rare Metal Knight, Tide of Battle, Kamikaze Warrior, Rare Metal Dragon-Knight, Knight of Chaos, King's Ransom(TM), Anti-Riot Knight, Battle-Weary Knight, Psycho Shocker Knight

**Anime Cards**


	20. Warrior's Tomb

Author's Notes: Part two of Asriel and Davis versus Kensai! Enjoy.

_**Chapter Nineteen: Warrior's Tomb**_

_Kensai nodded and picked up two cards off his deck. Now he had those two cards and his continuous trap card Tide of Battle, an that was all. "This party is just getting started, but before I can bring out the main guests I have to settle for just cutting down your life points farther. First I set a monster..."_

_He placed the card face down, and its representation was created holographically. "Now I sacrifice it to summon Psycho Shocker Knight(2400/1500)!"_

_The monster that he summoned looked almost identical to Jinzo, only its armor was more medieval and less futuristic, and in addition it held a laser sword in its right hand and an energy shield in its left. "When tribute summoned Psycho Shocker Knight annihilates all of my opponent's trap cards, and gains 100 attack for each one."_

_Asriel and Davis both grimaced as their face down cards shattered, and Psycho Shocker Knight rose to twenty-seven hundred attack power, making him the second strongest monster in play. "In addition to that I had sacrifice Battle-Weary Knight(1500/1000) who counts as being destroyed through battle anytime he goes to the grave for all effects. So that's more life points." (KLP: 9600)_

"_Now...since your card is a field card my monster gains an additional five hundred attack points, giving him the attack power advantage! And now it's time to take back this duel and cut your monsters down to size. Psycho Shocker Knight...attack!"_

Dark Magician Girl squeeled in terror as the Jinzo-look-alike charged forwards. Davis grimaced, but was unable to do anything as his monster was slashed in half by the laser sword. She burst into pixels, and Davis' life points fell. _'Dark Magician Girl...no...my last defense.' _(DLP: 950)

"Since I have no other cards to play...that means my turn is over. Go ahead and make your move little Asriel, it won't help."

Asriel looked over at her husband, whose field was completely empty. In addition he only had one card in his hand, while she still had to, her knight, and her field card. _'He's in trouble, so I'm going to have to come up with a plan fast or it's all over.'_

Taking a good look at her hand, she began to come to a decision. _'This will be difficult, but if I can pull it off it will work. Psycho Shocker Knight only destroys traps when tribute summoned I can place cards safely so I know what to do...'_

"First I switch Dark Magician Knight into defense. Then I summon Double-Arms Knight(1900/1400) in defense mode. Finally I set one card face down and end." The purple clad knight dropped into a defensive position and was soon joined by an armored man wielding two blades strapped to his arms. With the boost from Sword in the Stone he had nineteen hundred attack, setting him too far away from helping.

Davis frowned and drew his own new card, knowing that he had very little to work with. _'Asriel looks like she has a plan, but right now I've got nothing to work with. I'll have to play defensively.'_

"I set one monster in defense mode and then end my turn!" The single card appeared in front of him, making it a meager temporary defense.

Kensai immediately drew twice then pointed at Asriel's mightiest monster. "Psycho Shocker Knight, finish off Dark Magician Knight!"

The knight charged in and slashed apart the opposing knight with a single cut from its laser sword. Dark Magician Knight dissolved, leaving little left but dust particles. "And that's the end of that."

"The end? Not quite, because you let me trigger my trap card, Knights of the Round! At a cost of half my life points after a warrior is destroyed in battle I can special summon three monsters from my deck with 'knight' in their title." Her life points began to fall just as she fanned out her deck to find the right monsters. (ALP: 1700)

Finally she settled on three cards and threw them out onto the field, revealing in quick succession three female knights with helmets with wings on them. "With the effect of my trap I've chosen to summon all three of my Command Knights(1200/1900)!"

Kensai's eyes widened as the three monsters formed, and then raised their blades in readiness. "Being such beautiful monsters and natural leaders my Command Knights boost all of my warriors by four hundred attack points. Combined with their effects and the effect of my field card my knights now have twenty-nine hundred attack each, while my other knight has thirty-one hundred attack!"

The crowd cheered in awe at her impressive play, while Kensai merely whistled. "That's quite a good move. It seems you're every bit as strong as you are said to be, if not more so. But my Psycho Shocker Knight is still stronger than your monsters."

"I'm well aware of that, but a girl has to at least try. If I didn't try then it would be over before it started. Speaking of being over, is your turn done?" Kensai shook his head, pointing to the two cards he still held.

"Not quite. I set one magic or trap card face down and then place an additional monster in defense mode. Now my turn is done." Two more cards appeared face down in front of him, boosting his field to a more defensible level.

Asriel looked down at her deck and closed her eyes. _'If I don't draw the right card then I'm finished here and now...so I have to try!'_

She snapped up the card to her eyes, and then she began to laugh brightly. Davis grinned, realizing what she was holding. On the other hand Kensai didn't seem to see what was so funny. "What could you possibly have drawn that would make you so happy?"

"Only the key to success in this duel...my key creature! I sacrifice two Command Knights along with Double-Arms Knight in order to summon it!" The three named monsters vanished in a flash, and the field began to turn misty. As everyone watched in suspense a figure began to emerge from the mist.

What emerged was a powerful looking wise warrior with a crown upon his head. "Meet the true king, the Emperor of the Lonely Isle...the Once and Future King: Pendragon(3500/3000)!"

Pendragon snapped two fingers together and suddenly Tide of Battle exploded into dust. Kensai stared at the monster in awe, amazed at what he saw. "Pendragon...one of the ultimate warriors, a legend of a monster of whom only ten copies exist...a beautiful sight to behold as it destroys all face-up magic and traps in play when tribute summoned...at least all but field cards."

"You sure do know your warriors pal, and I'm glad I could show you this ultimate monster just once before it finished you off. Now, if you know so much about it I bet you know what happens when I negate Sword in the Stone's 500 points bonus." She smirked and waited to see if he could respond.

The crowd was in suspense, waiting to see if their champion did in fact know. When he smiled, they knew the truth, he did. "By doing so you can automatically equip Exalibur onto Pendragon from anywhere it is. And Pendragon can have Excalibur without losing your draw phase to keep it."

"You're a knowledgable guy, not that it will help. I activate Exalibur, doubling Pendragon's attack! With the aid of Command Knight the Once and Future King now has a massive seventy-eight hundred attack points!" Pendragon raised the gleaming blade above his head, and even Psycho Shocker Knight backed away in fear.

"Come now, strike down Psycho Shocker Knight if you dare, but keep in mind I still have a face down card on the field." Asriel saw that he did, but still she didn't feel very worried by this move. After all, she had the ultimate monster to use.

"Pendragon, attack with Exaclibur Holy Wave!" Pendragon snapped his sword down in an arc, and a wave of holy energy shot across the field and blasted Psycho Shocker Knight into tiny fragments. The remainder of the blast swept Kensai off his feet and slammed him into the wall. (KLP: 4500)

Kensai stumbled forwards, his gi burned and his body badly injured. Yet he began to laugh as he pressed a button on his duel disk. "Two can play this game Asriel, and you have helped me. I reveal my own Knights of the Round!" (KLP: 2250)

Three cards shot out of his duel disk and he slapped them all into play one after the other. "White Knight of Vanda(1800/1900), Black Knight of Vanda(1900/1800), and finally a Blade Knight(2000/1000)!"

Two white armored knights and one in black armor took shape, holding up their weapons in a feeble defense against the might of Pendragon. "Your monsters can stop Command Knight, but let's see about that set one. Attack it!"

The female warrior slashed the monster in half, and it vanished in a brief flash. "You were right, my Lonely Monk Fighter(100/1200) was no match for your monster, however since he is a monk he leaves all his worldly possessions to me by letting me draw till I hold five cards when he is destroyed in battle."

Asriel grimaced as her opponent drew five cards. Although she had done a lot of damage he had still managed to make her give him an advantage. "Fine, do what you like. I set one card face down and end my turn."

Davis drew, then casually slid the card onto his duel disk. "I set this one card face down and end my turn."

Kensai smirked and drew twice, giving him seven cards total. "How very interesting...now, as I mentioned previously it seems that you have a lot of power, and that Pendragon is an ultimate warrior. But I never said I hadn't seen this warrior before. Allow me to give you a little lesson about this card you might not know."

He placed his hand of cards into his pocket and then he held up both hands with fingers up. "Ten copies of Pendragon were created. The first was kept by its creator, Pegasus J. Crawford." He dropped a finger, indicating that one was counted off.

"Two copies were located and taken in by a corporation commonly known as Paradias, a very wealthy underground corporation. After that their location was unknown." He ticked off two more fingers, leaving him with seven.

"Seto Kaiba spent a good deal of time and money locating one to add to his collection, but the bastard never uses it since it doesn't fit his deck theme. Another was stolen by a group called the Rare Hunters and has fallen from sight since then." Two more fingers went down, and he dropped that totally used hand.

"Now, three more of these ten were located and went to people whose identities haven't been known to most. One of those three was Asriel Heart...you." Three more fingers dropped, and then he waggled the remaining two back and forth.

"This leaves two unaccounted for in all of the world, just waiting for someone to pull one from a pack of Legendary Warriors. By all means I should never have seen one before this but...this is the second I have seen." Slowly he took his hand of cards out from his pocket and began to take one of the cards from his hand out.

Asriel's eyes widened and she took a step backwards in shock, fearing what might be coming. "It can't be true...it just can't be!"

"It can...and it is! I sacrifice my three monsters, each with Knight in their title in order to summon the legendary Once and Future King: Pendragon(3500/3000)!" An identical monster to Asriel's ultimate creature stepped out of the mist and confronted the other warrior, and with a similar snap of his fingers the Exacilbur card shattered.

The crowd roared in awe, amazed at the display of skill that they were seeing. Two completely legendary cards now faced off against each other, but only one could win. "It's absolutely astounding that you also have a Pendragon, but mine has four hundred more attack points as long as I have Command Knight, and you can't attack Command Knight."

Kensai nodded, then took one of his other cards and slid it into one of his magic zones. "That's the case, but power can be gained. Although I can't use Sword in the Stone since you used it, and I don't have Exalibur in my hand, I must settle for the equip card Axe of Despair, raising Pendragon by one thousand points."

A terrifying looking axe materialized in the ruler's hand, boosting his attack power and making him even stronger than Asriel's monster. "Pendragon, crush her Pendragon with Despair Axe Crush!"

"You can attack, but it does no good! I activate Saving Play, which for one turn makes all of my monsters impossible to destroy in battle!" The axe slammed into Pendragon's shoulder, but despite the cut he was able to remain standing and push his duplicate away from him.

"Well played Asriel. It seems you have become my true opponent rather than your husband. Truly a pity, but I'm enjoying this duel greatly. Now, since I can't continue to attack I just set two cards face down and end my turn."

Asriel frowned, then picked up her two card. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two."

A quick look at those cards gave her an idea. "I set one card face down, then I activate Warrior Returning Alive. I pick up and summon Double-Arms Knight(1800/1400) in defense mode. Then I end."

Davis shot a frown at his wife, but since he trusted her he knew he had to focus on himself. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Kensai chuckled and drew two cards, then he threw a card onto his duel disk. "You two are far too cautious for my taste. So I summon Freed the Wandering Hero(1700/1200)! Pendragon attacks Pendragon!"

"Negate Attack halts your strike, giving me a chance to recover." Pendragon halted and returned to Kensai's field, unable to do anything further.

"Very well, I guess that means my turn is over. Take your turn, because it might be your last." Asriel felt her hand shake, and then she drew once, giving her just two cards in hand. She knew she had to look at it, but her turn depended on this draw. Perhaps the duel as well.

She raised it to see what it was and she started to smile.

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Those watching the duel from monitors were shocked when Kirani jumped up, her eyes lighting up with amazement and pure joy. "Could it possibly be! It must be, I can practically feel its presence! I know what's going to happen now, and I've wanted forever to see it in action!"

Drake placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her in confusion. "Ummm...wanted to see what in action?"

Her eyes lit up even further as she spoke of it. "One of the ultimate Gilfords...the only one I don't have. If she can summon it this duel is in the bag for them!"

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"Double-Arms Knight counts as two sacrifices for a warrior, so I tribute it and Command Knight in order to summon Gilford the Lightning!" Kensai stared in horror as one of the mightiest of all warriors appeared and drew his blade.

"Go, Raigeki Blade!" A bolt of lightning shot down from above and shattered both Pendragon and Freed, leaving nothing but two set cards to defend Kensai.

"Now, it's time to end you once and for all! Even if you can stop this attack there's no way you can win without your precious monsters, so I play Polymerization to fuse these two creatures together and form the mighty The Return of the King: Pendragon the Lightning(5000/1400)!" The mighty fusion monster held up his weapon and lightning arced across the enclosed room.

Davis punched his fist into the air, overjoyed at his wife's move. "Alright honey! Show him your strength!"

"Oh I will. Since I tributed both of his fusion elements I can have Pendragon the Lightning send all monsters in one target to the cemetery, so every monster in your deck goes to the grave, leaving only those in your hand left!" Kensai growled in frustration as he dumped about half of his remaining deck into the cemetery.

"Now, Pendragon the Lightning will attack you directly!" Kensai shook his head and motioned to one of his face down cards, which sent a spray of light that blew apart Pendragon the Lightning.

"Light Shattering Strike lets me remove one light type monster from the grave to destroy one monster on the opponent's field, so I just removed one of my various lights and nuked it. Now, is that all?" With nothing else to play, Asriel was forced to let that be all.

Davis breathed in, then out, and then he drew. "Let's see if I can do better. I sacrifice my two set monsters to summon Buster Blader(2600/2300)!"

The purple armored warrior hefted his massive sword, ready for action. If he succeeded in his attack then he would be able to finish off Kensai once and for all. "Buster Blader, attack Kensai directly for the game!"

"Not quite! Waboku negates all battle damage from my opponent this turn!" Three robed priests moved into the way, blocking the strike before it could hit Kensai. Davis frowned, and then glanced at the single card remaining in his hand. It was useless except under the right circumstances.

"I set one card face down and end my turn."

Once more Kensai drew twice, putting his hand back at five cards. He looked over his hand, and then smirked. "It's time I end this. You two have put up an impressive fight, but now it's all over. Say goodbye, as I activate Warrior Returning Alive!"

Davis sucked in a breath in fear, understanding what was about to happen. "And you pick up the one monster that can undo this all don't you?"

Kensai nodded and held up his deadliest warrior. "But I'm not done yet. I activate Monster Reincarnation, discarding one card to pick up another monster." He held up the new card, revealing it as another deadly creature.

"I remove two light types from my grave along with two dark types in order to summon these mightiest of monsters. Come forth, Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning(3000/2500) and Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End(3000/2500)!" Two of the deadliest monsters in the game emerged from their cards, one a massive dragon and the other an armored knight.

Davis pointed to newest face down card, and it flipped up. "I thought this card would be useless now, but you proved me wrong! Reveal quick-play magic card, Ability Negate! This equips to Chaos Emperor Dragon and prevents him from activating his effect!"

Kensai grimaced and made a slashing motion with one hand. "Regardless he still has three thousand points. Black Luster Soldier, remove Buster Blader from the game."

Davis turned to his wife, but was unable to say anything as his only monster was removed from play. She smiled, trying to reassure him. "Don't worry Davis, I trust you."

"Your wife has a strong will, as strong as yours. For that and for her success against me in this duel I will give her the first send off. Chaos Emperor Dragon...attack her directly!" Asriel closed her eyes as the massive energy wave came straight for her.

An explosion rocked the room, but to Davis' surprise it was followed by boos from the audience. "Why are they booing? I thought they were into violence?"

He got his answer moments later when he got a view of Asriel, standing exactly where she had been. A few feet in front of her was a scorch mark in the metal from the attack. Davis looked up at Kensai and smiled in relief. "Thank you Kensai, thank you for showing honor." (ALP: 0)

"Chaos Emperor Dragon is far too dangerous to be allowed to perform a true direct attack under these circumstances. I wouldn't let it finish off such a strong spirited woman. Now, I end my turn." With that finish it was now just Davis and Kensai, and it would be their true rematch now.

Davis turned to Kensai and then drew, knowing that it would take a miracle to win this now. "This is it Kensai, this is the climax of our duel! And I have every intention of winning and moving on to the Inner Sanctum! Now, activate magic card, Monster Returned!"

'_He actually drew the perfect card for the situation...what spirit!'_ The effect of Monster Returned activated, and Buster Blader reformed on Davis' field, with its power suddenly boosted by five hundred thanks to the presence of Chaos Emperor Dragon.

"Now, reveal face down card, Crusader's Armor! This card equips to Buster Blader, increasing his attack by three hundred! Buster Blader, attack Chaos Emperor Dragon!" The mighty charged and jumped into the air, coming down to cleave the dragon's head from its shoulders. (KLP: 1850)

"Truly impressive, but my Black Luster Soldier remains, and you have already attacked. Next turn I will simply remove your monster from the game and that will be the end of it." Kensai smirked and folded his arms across his chest, completely confident of his victory.

"I'm far from done! I sacrifice Buster Blader and his equipped armor in order to summon an even mightier warrior. This summons out the deadly Buster Crusader(3000/2700) who gains five hundred attack for every fiend and dragon in your grave!" Kensai's eyes widened as the blader morphed, becoming even more impressive than before.

"And since Buster Crusader was summoned as a new monster during the battle phase..." Kensai let it trail off, already aware that his opponent had it planned out.

"That's right! Buster Crusader, slash his Black Luster Soldier in half!" Buster Crusader charged in, and in scene straight out of a Kurosawa film the two warriors slashed past each other and landed kneeling. Then the soldier collapsed and was burned away. (KLP: 1350)

A hush fell over the audience. They were in awe that he had managed to defeat both chaos monsters in a single turn, and move the duel to his favor. "Davis, you are truly a powerful person, with a great spirit. Perhaps you can defeat me, I would be impressed by that."

"We'll see now won't we? End!" They all waited tensely as Kensai made his two draws. If he drew something that could bring back a monster, or kill Buster Crusader then it was all but finished for the duelist. If not, then he was safe.

"Davis, you know of four of the cards from the Supreme Duelist Series, but you have yet to see the fifth and final one of them. One ritual, one ritual monster, one continuous magic card, one quick-play magic card, and one other. Now, let me show you my card's power!" He slammed the card into his duel disk, and energy began to flare up around the field.

"Now it is revealed, the magic card Silent Heart! This magic card special summons one random monster in the cemetery, any player's, and special summons it to the field for one turn with double its normal statistics! Let us see what is to come of this!" The energy plumes began to gather together as the monster was about to be revealed.

'_There are so many options that would give him the victory, every monster in his entire deck is in the cemetery, and a number from mine and Asriel's. All he needs is a monster with over seventeen hundred attack and he can defeat my Buster Crusader.'_ With a deck like Kensai's most of his monsters had such attack power, so the chances were even worse for Davis remaining safe.

Asriel crossed her fingers just for luck, knowing that it was going to come down to luck. _'I know you don't really believe in luck Davis, but I sure hope you've got some good luck right about now, because if not then it's all over!'_

"Let it be summoned, come forth my monster!" The energy began to fade away, and the deadly creature that was to be summoned was finally unveiled.

And it was a furball with a shield and a sword. "My monster is...Kuriboh Knight(600/400)?" He stared at the monster for a moment, and then he burst out laughing.

"It seems that fate was on your side Davis Coffin, but I can still deal some damage to you! Activate magic card Riryoku, steal half of Buster Crusader's power and give it to my monster!" Buster Crusader sagged, and the little Kuriboh bounced up and down with joy as its attack rose.

"Kuriboh Knight(2350/400), attack and destroy Buster Crusader(1750/2700)!" The little brown furred pom pom charged forwards and bowled over the crusader, killing him instantly. The hologram shattered as Davis' jaw dropped. (DLP: 350)

"Finally I set one card face down, and that completes my turn. It's your turn to see what you can draw." Davis nodded, and once again the crowd went silent in anticipation of his move. If he failed to draw a good card he would lose.

Davis drew, then slipped the card onto his disk. "As ironic as it is...Hammer Shot destroys Kuriboh Knight." A giant hammer appeared from above and smashed the little fluffy monster, leaving Kensai's field barren except for his set card.

Kensai made his double draw, then laughed at what he had seen. "How very interesting. I drew Exalibur a turn too late, this would have won me the duel last turn, and now it is useless. Go ahead Davis, take your turn." He placed a single card down on his disk, and that was all.

Davis did so, and frowned at whatever he saw there. He knew there was much he could do, but he wanted to avoid doing it. "I activate the magic card Borrowed Time which for one turn can be treated as any card in the game. I choose to treat it as Jinzo(2400/1500)

The magic card shifted shape, becoming the familiar android, who flashed his eyes twice and blew away both of Kensai's set monsters. "Borrowed Time...very impressive. Go ahead, the duel is yours. Make the final strike."

"So be it, Jinzo, attack him directly with Cyber Energy Shock!" The android charged up a ball of dark light in its hands and then fired it forwards, but just like Chaos Emperor Dragon's attack it slammed into the ground and blew up without striking. (KLP: 0)

Kensai threw back his head and laughed, then marched right over to Davis and Asriel and swept them up in a hug. "You two...I never thought you could beat me, but you proved your worth. I'm glad to know that there are still duelists out there with spirit likes yours who can defeat me. Now, head on into the sanctum, and good luck."

"Errr...thanks. It was a great duel!" Kensai just chuckled and pushed them forwards, moving them to the far door. It slid open, and then they entered.

As soon as they were gone a voice came on over the loudspeakers. "Kensai, you have failed us, unexpected. Report here immediately for a discussion. We need to prepare this chamber for our next set of duelists. Hopefully they won't succeed."

"Of course. But in the end, even though I lost, a duel like that was worth it. Few duelists can challenge me, let alone defeat me, and the fact that they won impresses me. So for that, I'm happy."

Then he left the room, making way for the next challenge that would rock the Underworld of Dueling.

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_Next Chapter: Fusion Galore!_

Author's Notes: Davis and Asriel's team manages the win at the very end, and now they move on, but two more duelists wait in the wings to duel. And these duelists are going to have to dig deep because their enemies are prepared for their strategies!

_Review Responses_

Time Mage: PSK only gets its effect when tributed, so no it isn't broken. The Light is too hard to explain, you'd have to read his stuff. The holograms repairing the wounds is actually Kensai's doing, as he didn't want an unfair advantage.

John: Nobody's tomb literally, but in some ways it is Kensai's.

Gryphinwyrm7: Wow...that's cool that I managed that. Nah, I decided not to bring in the gods, didn't want to deal with that. I'm glad these chapters have made you happy.

G.O.T. Nick: Yep, Takuya will continue to get much better. And I know what you mean, I really like Takuya/Kensai as well for some reason.

WolfGeneral: And your wish for luck did the trick, letting them win.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Asriel: Double-Arms Knight, Knights of the Round(WG), The Once and Future King: Pendragon(G), Saving Play, The Return of the King: Pendragon the Lightning(G),

Davis: Ability Negate(WG), Monster Returned(WG), Crusader's Armor(G), Buster Crusader(G), Borrowed Time(G)

Kensai: Knights of the Round(WG), White Knight of Vanda, Black Knight of Vanda, The Once and Future King: Pendragon(G), Light Shattering Strike, Silent Heart, Kuriboh Knight(G)

**Anime Cards**

Asriel: Excalibur

Kensai: Exalibur


	21. Fusions Galore!

Author's Notes: Now it's time for Ryu and Daniel to step up to the plate.

_**Chapter Twenty: Fusion Galore!**_

"So, basically what it comes down to is that this ritual can end all that we know? Or is that just a theory?" As the two duelists walked through the now opening doorway, Daniel couldn't help but be curious about the ritual that Ryu had been talking to him about.

"Mostly its just conjecture based on things I've read and heard. Nobody in known history has ever performed the ritual, so it's unknown even if the ritual can be completed at all." Daniel nodded, still not sure how he felt knowing that there existed a ritual rumored to be able to strip all living beings of their free will.

"But what about those keys to it that you mentioned? What exactly are they?" Ryu opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off when lights burst upon them.

Both duelists held their arms up to block out the light, but didn't have to keep it up for long as the lights dimmed, revealing them to be in a large room surrounded by steel with plexiglass at the top. Behind the glass were hundreds of spectators, all of them now cheering.

"Let me guess, it's time to duel?" In response to Daniel's questions another set of spotlights lit up, outlining the forms of two duelists, both women. They wore baggy pants, grungy t-shirts, and leather jackets. Added to the multiple earrings and the nose ring each had, they looked more punk than Drake did.

"You guess right. Ryu Zaytel and Daniel Pilkington, you are two face us in a duel. If you lose we take whatever we want from you. If you win, you advance to the Inner Sanctum. But worry about beating us first. I am Zarya!" She raised her right arm and a duel disk unfolded into position. (ZLP: 4000)

Her companion raised her left arm and activated her own duel disk, getting it fully ready. "And I am Tanya! Get ready to meet your match!" (TLP: 4000)

Daniel frowned and held up his own arm, duel disk already activated. He shuffled his deck and slammed it home. "Sorry girls, I've already met my match, and she's still at home, probably cooking dinner right now." (DLP: 4000)

Ryu simply activated his duel disk and placed his deck into the holder. "Enough of the witty banter portion of this duel. Let's move on to the real meat." (RLP: 4000)

Zarya snickered and took two cards from her six card hand and slid them onto her duel disk. "You aren't much for fun when it comes to dueling I see, but no matter. We'll have our fun by crushing you and taking your demonic powers! I'll start by placing two cards face down."

She looked at the rest of her hand, then slapped another card onto her duel disk. "Now I summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman(1100/1100) in attack mode! That will be all."

Daniel drew his sixth card, eying the weak warrior in green armor. Masaki was hardly an impressive monster, but there was something about Masaki that he should remember that he wasn't thinking of yet. "I start by setting a monster in defense mode. Then I'll place one card face down behind it. Move it along."

Tanya looked at her partner out of the corner of her eye, and then selected a card from her hand and tossed it into play. "To compliment my partner's monster I'll summon this little number. Flame Manipulator(900/1000)!"

A burning warrior emerged, fire zipping about his body. Despite the somewhat impressive entrance, each duelist knew that this monster had no effect at all. "Then I place two cards face down, just like Zarya. On to you Mr. Serious."

Ryu looked over his hand, and then at his opponent's field in order to gauge their strategy. He smirked and took a card and placed it down carefully. "So, the two of you plan to fuse monsters in order to defeat us? A foolish notion, when I am a master of fusion, and my partner likewise. One monster face down and one card behind it."

Zarya snapped up a card and glared at Ryu. "You seem so cocky, which means you know what happens when Flame Manipulator and Masaki combine their powers together. So I'll do the math for your opponent by activating the field magic card, Fusion Gate!"

A warp of energy appeared above the field at the top of the room, but it didn't seem to be pulling anything in. It served a different purpose. "I now remove Masaki and my partner's manipulator from the game in order to fusion summon Flame Swordsman(1800/1600)!"

The familiar Japanese fire swordsman emerged, holding his sword at the ready. "Now my fusion monster, attack Daniel's set with Flaming Sword of Battle!"

Flame Swordsman's blade lit up with fire, and he charged in and slammed his sword down on the set monster. Flames exploded outwards, but suddenly a massive rocky form stood up and shoved the swordsman backwards. "What was that?" (ZLP: 3800)

"That was Elemental Hero Clayman(800/2000) whose defense score was greater than your swordsman's. That means that your attack failed and you took damage instead of me. Is that all?" Daniel smirked confidently, having come out ahead in the first exchange of the duel.

"Fine, I'll just summon Versago the Destroyer(1100/900) in defense mode to end my turn." Zarya's newest monster was a thin creature with very little body, its arms wrapped around itself protectively.

Daniel drew, and then scanned his hand of five cards. "It looks like you've done yourself in with this one. Fusion Gate helps me quite a bit, because I happen to be able to fuse as well!"

He picked out three of his five cards and held them out, revealing one normal monster and two effect monsters. "I fuse Elemental Hero Burst Lady(1200/800) together with Clayman to form Elemental Hero Rampart Gunner(2000/2500)!"

The two monsters jumped into the warp, and then what came out was a semi-robotic woman in red, with a gun and a shield. Daniel placed the two monsters into his removed from play pile. "Next I fuse Elemental Hero Wildman(1500/1600) with Elemental Hero Edgeman(2600/1400)!"

Both of them also jumped into the warp, and what came out was a burly man who was part gold and all warrior. "Meet Elemental Hero Wild Jaggyman(2600/1400)!"

Zarya snickered and depressed a button on her duel disk. "I've met him, and now I want to wave goodbye. We knew ahead of time that you also ran fusion, which is why we chose to face you. Because any fusion deck can be easily readied to combat another fusion deck! Go, De-Fusion!"

Daniel gasped as his fusion hero shattered into a million pieces. "Normally De-Fusion lets you bring back the fusion components, but because you used Fusion Gate those parts were removed from the game, and now you get nothing!"

Tanya snapped her fingers to gain his attention, and then she pointed to one of her two face down cards. "I also have a placed card ready. Meet my very own De-Fusion card, which breaks down Rampart Gunner into the bare nothing that is left over!"

Daniel's remaining fusion hero also broke apart, leaving him with a single set card on the field and nothing else. "I have no more monsters, so I set my hand onto the field and end my turn."

Tanya drew, and then slid the card into play. "I activate Change of Heart! Now, Ryu's face down monster comes to me!"

The set card slid over to her, but quickly vanished as she replaced it with something else. "I sacrifice your monster for Meteor Dragon(1800/1500)!" A molten creature appeared, and Ryu frowned with recognition. He knew what was going to come next.

He grimaced and slid his Gaius the Earth Dragon(500/2200) into the graveyard. He was certain fusion it wouldn't have gotten him what he needed anyways. "And now you fuse your monsters together since Versago is a fusion substitute."

"Somebody knows his fusions well. That's right, I remove my monster and Versago from the game to fusion summon the mighty Meteor Black Dragon(3500/3000)!" The molten behemoth settled onto her field, spewing flames in a wide arc to impress the spectators.

"Both monsters have been combined from our monsters, so that means each of us can control them. Now, the only one of you worth finishing off is Ryu, since his demon blood is usable. Daniel however...you've already lost, so you have no power worth taking. Meteor Black Dragon attacks Ryu directly!" The dragon moved to attack, but suddenly stopped.

"My Negate Attack trap card ceases your assault just as it begins and prevents you from continuing your battle phase." Tanya growled in irritation, but was forced to simply set one card face down before ending her turn.

"Most likely one of those face down cards you have is Fusion Cancel or something similar, so for the moment a fusion isn't feasible. However, I have another method in mind for defeating you. I summon Masked Dragon(1400/1100)." The long-necked masked dragon screeched at the opposing dragon, but was drowned out by its roar.

"Your pathetic monster is nothing but a snack for our mighty Meteor Black Dragon. This monster is one of the strongest fusions in the entire game, and there's little that you could bring out of your deck that could match it." Ryu merely shrugged, and then pointed at Flame Swordsman.

"Masked Dragon will attack Flame Swordsman." Zarya looked at him like he was crazy, but otherwise said nothing and simply allowed the dragon to be toasted alive by Flame Swordsman's blade. (RLP: 3600)

"Masked Dragon lets me special summon one dragon from my deck to the field when it dies in battle, as long as the chosen monster has fifteen hundred or less attack. I choose to summon Armed Dragon LV3(1200/900)." A tiny little chubby dragon with miniature spikes appeared in the other dragon's place.

"That monster? What could it possibly do against our beasts?" Ryu chose to answer them not in words, but in actions. So he slid two cards from his hand onto his duel disk.

"I activate two of the same magic cards, both of them are Level Ups! First my Armed Dragon LV3 evolves into Armed Dragon LV5(2400/1700) and then that evolves into Armed Dragon LV7(2800/1600)!" Soon a massive red skinned dragon with hundreds of spikes on its body took up most of the field, its roar drowning out even the opposing dragon.

"Even that monster can't defeat our creatures! It's worthless to stop us!" Daniel looked questioningly at Ryu, but his unspoken question was answered the moment that Ryu activated the next card in his hand.

"My next card is called Dragon In The Hand, which lets me remove one fusion dragon from my fusion deck and gives me a chance to normal summon it. If I can't then it returns to my hand and I lose 1000 life points. I choose Wind Dragon Vanguard(4000/1000)." He held up the purple bordered card, and added it to his hand.

"How in the world do you expect to summon that thing? You only have one monster, and there's no way that thing would be counted as a one tribute monster." Ryu smirked and held up the dragon...and then slid it into his cemetery.

"I have no intention of summoning it. Instead I activate Armed Dragon LV7's ability, which allows me to discard a monster from my hand and destroy all other opposing monsters in play with a lower attack power. I discard Wind Dragon Vanguard. Go, Genocide Cutter!"

Armed Dragon roared and fired off dozens of beams of red energy. The beams of energy tore apart Flame Swordsman and Meteor Black Dragon, leaving nothing in their place. "Unfortunately this move has placed me into my second main phase, preventing me from entering battle. So my turn is over."

Zarya drew, then burst out laughing. "You've given me victory, plan and simple! This next card and your previous efforts have given me the card that will grant us victory in a single strike. But first, I activate Smashing Ground, which destroys the highest defense monster on your field, meaning Armed Dragon LV7 dies!"

Ryu frowned as his only card in play was dragged down beneath the earth, leaving him with an empty field. "Now it's time to meet your demise! I play Rebirth of the Fusion! At a cost of one thousand life points I can special summon any fusion monster in the cemetery, no matter what!" (ZLP: 2800)

Daniel and Ryu both realized what was about to happen mere seconds before light shot out of Ryu's duel disk and landed on Zarya's. "Thanks to your efforts last turn I can now summon Wind Dragon Vanguard(4000/1000) to the field!"

Now standing on Zarya's field was a massive humanoid dragon in green armor with huge wings and a spear in its hand. "Wind Dragon Vanguard will attack Ryu directly and finish him off!"

Daniel snapped his arm out, and one of his three set cards lifted up to reveal itself. "Just like my partner before me I use Negate Attack to halt your assault and end your battle phase!"

Zarya snarled and motioned for Daniel to take his turn. The former half demon drew, giving him just one card in his hand and two cards on the field. "I summon Elemental Hero Featherman(1000/1000) in defense mode."

The green suited muscular man struck a pose, and then dropped to a crouched position. "That ends my turn."

Tanya drew, then burst out laughing just as her partner had. "Prepare to meet your end! I play Fusion Cloning, which costs one card from my hand. I part with the last card in my hand, and now I get to select one fusion monster in play and create a clone token of it."

Wind Dragon Vanguard flickered, and a copy of it split apart from the original and floated over to Tanya's field. Ryu watched his former monsters with distaste, irritated by his opponents using them against him. "Since I have no restrictions on attacking, I'll launch an assault on Ryu's life points to finish him off!"

The humanoid dragon raised its spear to attack, but Daniel reached his set card before the attack could be completed. "I trigger my trap card, Hero Barrier! This lets me negate on attack when I have a hero in play."

Wind Dragon Vanguard backed away and settled back down in front of Tanya. The female duelist scowled, but because she had no more cards in her hand there was little else she could do. "Let's see you two get out of this position. End turn!"

Ryu nodded, then picked up the top card of his deck and held it up to his eyes. "The magic card Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards as any duelist should know."

He looked over the two new cards, then took action. "I activate Swords of Revealing Light, sealing your monsters from attacking for a grand total of three turns."

Green swords of light slammed down around the two humanoid dragons, keeping them from moving. But it was only a temporary barrier as Ryu knew quite well. "I summon Haze the Smoke Dragon(0/0) in defense mode and set one card face down."

He nodded his head to Zarya, who drew a card. She glanced down at her single set card, and then at her massive monster. "I fuse Spirit Reaper and Nightmare Horse from my hand together to create Reaper on the Nightmare(800/600)!"

A hideous ghoul on a ghostly horse road out from the warp above them, swinging its weapon back and forth. "Now I activate my set card, Fusion Immunity. This lets one monster that has been fusion summoned to be immune to any effect. You know what that means, Reaper on the Nightmare attacks Ryu!"

Daniel frowned as the horse moved in and the reaper slashed its scythe across Ryu's chest. He held his ground, but his life points took a beating. "Pity you have no cards in your hand, but the direct attack will have to do." (RLP: 2800)

Now it was Daniel's turn again, and he drew with great caution. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman(1600/1400) in defense mode. That's all." The blue and yellow suited hero dropped into a crouch next to his companion, prepared for the worst.

Once again the control of the duel shifted to Tanya, who glanced at her partner. Zarya gave her a brief nod, and then Tanya motioned to one of her face down cards. "Command Fusion lets me control any fusion monster during my turn for one full turn. That means I take control of Reaper on the Nightmare and have it attack Ryu directly!"

The dragon demon grimaced as the scythe drove into his chest, but he backhanded the reaper away. "Your attacks are effective, but they cannot defeat me. You will need more for that." (RLP: 2000)

"You're right, I will. So I activate Surprise Attack From the Darkness! Now Reaper on the Nightmare will attack you directly once again!" Ryu was ready this time, and he used his forearm to block the slash. Then he pushed with his great strength and hurled the reaper backwards. (RLP: 1200)

Ryu drew, then he frowned and placed the card onto his duel disk. "I summon Masked Dragon(1400/1100) in defense mode. That's all."

Zarya snapped up her next card, and then threw it onto her duel disk. "Here comes Crushing Mace, which attacks the strongest opposing monster in play with an effect that is considered an attack of two thousand. Strike now!"

Sparkman grunted as he was hit by a massive mace, and then he shattered into a million pieces. Daniel grimaced, glad that his monster hadn't been destroyed while in attack mode. "You should have used a different effect, because now I can activate Hero Signal and special summon a level four Elemental Hero from my deck!"

A card popped out of his deck and he tossed it down onto the duel disk. A woman in red and black emerged, crouching just next to Featherman. "For the second time in the duel I'd like you to meet Elemental Hero Burst Lady(1200/800), this time she's actually summoned and she's in defense mode!"

Zarya shrugged and then motioned to her single remaining set card. "That doesn't bother me! Activate trap, Pain of New Birth! When you special summon a monster you instantly take its attack points as damage!"

Tanya then pointed to her last set card, which flipped up. "Pain Amplifier doubles damage inflicted by an effect, so now you take twenty-four hundred damage!" (DLP: 1600)

Daniel fell to one knee, surprised at how much the shocks hurt. He had been used to having demonic endurance for so long, and now that he was without it he was relearning how to be human. _'I remember the days when I hated the thought of being half demon. Now I'm eager to become one again. How things have changed...'_

"Speaking of damage, Reaper on the Nightmare attacks Ryu directly!" The reaper rode up and slashed wildly at Ryu. The dragon demon dodged casually, getting only a single thin cut across his chest. He grimaced and wiped off his suit. (RLP: 400)

"I like this suit, so I would suggest not damaging it any further. The price will be too great for you to handle." Zarya just snickered and placed her hands on her chest, obviously done with her turn.

Daniel drew, and then casually placed the card face down. "I set one card face down, and that ends my turn."

Tanya drew, and then her trap card instantly seized control of Reaper on the Nightmare. "Let's get ready to end Ryu now why don't we? Reaper on the Nightmare, attack him directly!"

Ryu frowned and motioned to his set card. Immediately it flipped up, revealing two monsters shifting positions. "My trap card is a simple one known as Shift. This alters your target to another appropriate one. In this case I now have you attack Featherman."

The reaper bounded forwards, but Featherman rose out of his crouching position and decked the reaper in the jaw, sending him hurtling backwards. Then Featherman dropped back into his crouch. "Once again one of you two falls victim to attacking a higher defense." (TLP: 3800)

"It doesn't matter, you two are still just moments away from losing. And next turn is the last turn for the Swords of Revealing Light. After that our two Wind Dragon Vanguard's will burn through your defenses and finish you off!" She chuckled darkly, passing the turn to Ryu.

Ryu drew, and then slammed the card down. "Although you are paralyzed against attacking, we are not. I sacrifice Masked Dragon and Haze in order to summon Grand Emperor Dragon(2000/2500) in attack mode!"

The magnificent dragon formed in place of the two weaker dragons. It stretched out its wings and roared in such an impressive manner that even the crowd went silent briefly. "Grand Emperor Dragon attacks Reaper on the Nightmare!"

Flames shot from the dragon's jaws, forcing the undead creature backwards. However, it didn't succumb to the flames and remained standing. "Reaper on the Nightmare cannot be destroyed as a result of battle, but I still lose life points regardless of that." (ZLP: 1600)

"That will end my turn." Daniel was about to speak up about how Ryu was totally defenseless other than his Grand Emperor Dragon, but he noticed a slight smile playing on Ryu's lips, and realized that the dragon demon had a plan.

'_What's his game? What could he be up to?' _He blinked in surprise when Ryu glanced upwards at the warp of Fusion Gate, drawing Daniel's gaze. His eyes widened, and then he too began to smile.

Zarya noticed the look on Daniel's face, and felt it appropriate to snap him out of it. "You're acting so confident, but it hardly matters. Reaper on the Nightmare will finish off your partner, and then it will come after you! Attack!"

Daniel snapped his fingers, and his lone set card flipped up. A shield appeared in his hand and he jumped in the reaper's path. The scythe connected with his shield, and energy surged around it. "You triggered my trap, Draining Shield! But since I don't need the life points that much, I'll give them to my partner!"

The reaper moved away, and Daniel's shield faded. A single point of energy shot out from that spot and hit Ryu in the chest, charging him up and restoring some much needed life points. "My thanks Daniel, I needed that recharge." (RLP: 1200)

"No problem, the least I could do since you've told me how to win the duel." Zarya frowned as the two exchanged smirks.

"I don't like your attitude! In our next turn you'll fall! Remember, after Tanya's turn is over your pathetic swords are gone, and then it's game over." She smirked and Tanya flashed her a smirk as well. The crowd above them roared in a bloodthirsty manner, desiring to see their end.

Daniel glanced down at his deck, knowing that he needed one card to make this work. He had to hope that Ryu was right, as he usually was. "This is the moment when you see that the only person to fall is you! Draw!"

He held up the card, and then casually slid it into the cemetery. "My magic card Warrior Returning Alive lets me pick up one warrior from my cemetery and add it to my hand."

A card ejected from his grave, and he picked it up. "Now, it's time to show you what I've got! Activate Fusion Gate special ability, join together Elemental Hero Featherman and Elemental Hero Burst Lady to form...Elemental Hero Flame Wingman(2100/1800)!"

The two monsters jumped into the warp, and then descended from it in the form of a green monster with a dragon's arm. "Flame Wingman isn't going to be enough to defeat you...so I activate Fusion Gate again and fuse Flame Wingman with a monster in my hand, Elemental Hero Sparkman!"

The electricity wielding monster joined Flame Wingman in the warp, and what descended was a glowing monster that looked like a mecha, with large spread out wings. "Meet one of the ultimate heroes, Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman(2500/2000)! He gains three hundred attack for every Elemental Hero in my grave, but I have none."

"So in other words your monster is useless. It doesn't have enough attack power to..." She frowned in realization as she did the math, coming to the conclusion that if he attacked with it he could take her life points down to zero.

"So you see it then huh? Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman, attack Reaper on the Nightmare with Shining Shot!" Light sprayed from the hero's fist, engulfing the reaper and driving it backwards. It screamed and shattered, unable to exist as its owner's life points fell to nothing. (ZLP: 0)

Tanya drew immediately, and then slammed the card into her duel disk. "You think you're strong, well your monster is no match for Wind Dragon Vanguard! Especially since I equip it with Axe of Despair, raising its attack power to a grand total of five thousand!"

A demonic axe formed in the dragon's other hand, complimenting the original spear it held. "Although I can't attack now, I can attack quite shortly. So go ahead and take your measly turn, not like it will help!"

Ryu drew, and shook his head in amusment. "Heroes and dragons...many people think that these monsters oppose each other. Yet often they fight on the same side. Prepare to witness such a joining. Activate Fusion Gate special effect!"

Tanya stared at the dragon demon in shock, not quite understanding what she was hearing. "What are you saying? A fusion between a dragon and a hero?"

"That's exactly right! Combine together Shining Flare Wingman and Grand Emperor Dragon into the ultimate joint warrior, Elemental Dragonic Hero Shining Flare Emperor(3000/2500)!" Shining Flare Wingman floated over and settled down on Grand Emperor Dragon's back, and his stats shot up.

"Your creature is still too weak by two thousand points! You can't stop me at all!" Tanya started to laugh, and her defeated partner joined in. But their laughs and the crowd's jeers faltered when the new fusion began to shine brighter than ever.

"Fools, all of you. Shining Flare Emperor gains three hundred attack for each monster with 'hero' in their name in my grave, and three hundred for each dragon. I have seven dragons, so now Shining Flare Emperor(5100) has enough power. Shining Dragon Shot!" A brilliant dragon shaped energy blast erupted from the monsters fist, joined by flames from the dragon.

Wind Dragon Vanguard was consumed in the blaze and shattered into thousands of pieces. "Even if my creature has fallen, that doesn't mean I'm defeated! I still have most of my life points left!" (TLP: 3700)

"Wrong, you have nothing! Any monster that is destroyed by this fusion has its attack deducted from the controller's life points. Now, you take Wind Dragon Vanguard's attack as damage!" Tanya screamed as energy slammed into her body, hurling her and her partner backwards. (TLP: 0)

The duel disks shut down, and the door at the far end of the room opened up. Daniel and Ryu glanced at each other and then as one they marched through it. "On to the next step."

Up in the control room the large form of the dimension's Dalin Imaki Sumatin scowled at the two's defeat. "I thought Tanya and Zarya's fusion strategies could defeat those two's fusions, but it appears that they are stronger than I had guessed. Nevertheless we must proceed based on the rules. Who wishes to face the next challenger?"

One of the people in the back stood, and walked into the light. He was revealed to be none other than Masue, still wearing his yellow Ra Yellow uniform. "After coming all this way and skipping classes I think I deserve a chance to duel. Besides, this next guy I want to crush again just for the fun of it."

He smirked as he looked at the person displayed on the screen, none other than Kai Kaethen. "Get ready Kai Kaethen, because your opponent is Masue Ihachi, and once again you'll fall before my Great Armor Deck!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Next Chapter: Birth of the Ultimate Breaker_

Author's Notes: Daniel and Ryu reveal that heroes can and will join forces with dragons for the right cause. Now it's time for Kai Kaethen to face off against Masue Ihachi, and see if he can make up for his previous defeat. But the question remains, who exactly is Masue Ihachi?

_Review Responses_

G.O.T. Nick: You guessed right. Ryu and Daniel were indeed up.

Gryphinwyrm7: Whoops, guess I can go back and change the chapter to make it Pitch Black Warwolf or something. Kensai's set cards couldn't be activated till the battle phase anyways, so it would have worked.

WolfGeneral: Not only was it Ryu, but it was also Daniel.

John: Thanks.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Ryu: Gaius the Earth Dragon(WG), Dragon In The Hand, Wind Dragon Vanguard(WG), Grand Emperor Dragon, Elemental Dragonic Hero-Shining Flare Emperor

Zarya: Rebirth of the Fusion, Fusion Immunity, Crushing Mace, Pain of New Birth

Tanya: Fusion Cloning, Command Fusion, Pain Amplifier

**Anime Cards**

Tanya: Surprise Attack From the Darkness

Daniel: Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman


	22. Birth of the Ultimate Breaker

Author's Notes: Now for the rematch of Kai vs Masue!

_**Chapter Twenty-One: Birth of the Ultimate Breaker**_

_Up in the control room the large form of the dimension's Dalin Imaki Sumatin scowled at the two's defeat. "I thought Tanya and Zarya's fusion strategies could defeat those two's fusions, but it appears that they are stronger than I had guessed. Nevertheless we must proceed based on the rules. Who wishes to face the next challenger?"_

_One of the people in the back stood, and walked into the light. He was revealed to be none other than Masue, still wearing his yellow Ra Yellow uniform. "After coming all this way and skipping classes I think I deserve a chance to duel. Besides, this next guy I want to crush again just for the fun of it."_

_He smirked as he looked at the person displayed on the screen, none other than Kai Kaethen. "Get ready Kai Kaethen, because your opponent is Masue Ihachi, and once again you'll fall before my Great Armor Deck!"_

Kai stumbled forwards and then jerked up just as the spotlight hit him. He was now illuminated for a crowd of hundreds of paying customers to see. "This...this is the place that those two duelists were before."

He had just managed to make it through the series of traps, but he and the rest of the group had been separated. There was no telling how many of them would make it through, but for now it was just him. "So, does this mean I have to duel now?"

"You've got that right. But I think in this case you'll want to duel." A spotlight hit the speaker, revealing him to be a teenager in a yellow uniform. He had dark brown eyes and unruly black hair, and he looked far too much like Drake for it to be a coincidence.

"Masue Ihachi...so it looks like we meet again. You were a powerful opponent, and I admit that your armors caught me off guard before, but now I've learned from the past and know how to defeat them. This time, I intend to win!" His duel disk unfolded and locked into position as the numbers lit up. (KLP: 4000)

"You mean you didn't intend to win last time? I highly doubt that, just like I doubt you can defeat me this time! Let's get this party started!" Masue's duel disk snapped into place, and his life points counted up until they were at the right spot. Then the entire arena lit up, giving the spectators a clear view of them. (MLP: 4000)

Kai paused before looking at the five cards he had drawn. There was just something he had to ask before this duel got stated. "Masue...I've been wondering. Who are your parents?"

"Not like it's any of you business. But I could see by your face that you recognized the name Ihachi when I said it before. Perhaps that means you've met Uncle Daisuke?" Kai narowed his eyes, realizing the truth of the matter.

'_So that makes him the son of this dimension's Hikari Ihachi, Drake's sister. I can see that dueling prowess runs in the family.'_

"Yes, I know your Uncle, in fact if your mother is Hikari Ihachi then I also know her. Now that I know exactly why you're so familiar looking then we can start the duel." With that said he held up his hand of five cards so he could give them a once over.

Masue had also drawn, only he had drawn six cards instead of five. "You're much cockier this time than you were during our last duel. Perhaps you think you actually have a counter strategy to my Armor Deck? There is no counter to it, so I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Kai slid a card off the top of his deck and added it to his hand. Then he selected another set of cards and placed them face down. "There is always a counter to any strategy and any theme. All you have to do is look for it."

Two brown-backed cards appeared face down in front of him in his magic and trap zone. "I place those two cards face down, and then I'll add a set monster as well. That ends my turn."

The young duelist frowned, but continued anyways, drawing his next card. Since he had used so little of his hand previously he had six cards to work with. "You're so damned confident that I'd like to test that confidence right now. Meet my first armor of the duel, Spikefist Armor(300/0)!"

He slammed the card into position, and a blue armor piece appeared in front of it. It latched onto his right arm, and then he held his fist up. This revealed the spikes that extended from the knuckles of the armored fist. "This monster can destroy any set monster without damage calculation! So, here I come!"

Masue screamed his attack and charged in, his booted feet slamming against the metal. He raised his fist and started to punch down towards Kai's set monster. "Hold it right there, my monster will remain safe! Activate trap card, Magic Circle of Light!"

A glowing circle of light appeared above the monster and Masue's fist slammed into it harmlessly. He growled and jumped backwards. "What the crap was that? How come my attack failed?"

"The trap card Magic Circle of Light protects all spellcasters from being attacked for the duration of this turn. Since my face down monster is a spellcaster that means it's safe from your attack." Masue grimaced, realizing that he couldn't do what he had hoped quite yet.

"Bah, that's fine with me. I place one magic or trap card face down and then end my turn!" A card appeared in front of him, potentially protecting his armors.

Kai drew and then he dropped his hand to his duel disk. "It's time to show you what I was protecting. I flip my face down monster, Mysterious Magister(300/300)!"

A figure in a brown hooded robe appeared in front of Kai, hunched over to reveal nothing of its body besides the robe. "Mysterious Magister is far from powerful, but his effect makes up for it. When he's flipped I can destroy one monster on your field and change the position of the rest of your monsters."

Masue's eyes widened as a beam of light shot out of the magister's hood and slammed into his fist, blowing it into millions of fragments. "Now, the revealing power of light will show me your set monster, now in attack mode!"

The card flickered, and then slowly it flipped up, revealing itself. It was a white metallic small shield, which floated gracelessly in the air. "You've changed my White Armor Buckler(0/2500) into attack mode."

"That's what I figured. Your armors generally have impressive effects, but they all have minimal attack power and usually minimal defense power. Since your White Armor Buckler is in attack mode that makes it easy prey for the monster I'm about to summon!" He picked up his Mysterious Magister and slid it into the graveyard.

"Now that I've made my sacrifice I can summon Guardian of Time(2400/2500) in attack mode!" The spellcaster appeared and flourished its staff, ready for battle at a moment's notice.

Masue eyed his face down card. He still seemed confident, but Kai had every intention of breaking that confidence. "I'm sorry, but don't think that your face down card will break my stride. Activate Mystical Space Typhoon!"

The younger duelist grimaced as his set card was blown apart by Kai's magic card. That left him with no way to protect his weak monster. "And here I thought you were so confident that you didn't need life points, but believe me, even with your deck life points do matter. Guardian of Time attacks!"

The floating armor buckler shattered under the pressure of the Guardian's assault, leaving Masue's field completely empty. On the other hand Kai still had his powerful monster and one set magic or trap card. "Guardian of Time has done his duty, and now you've lost more than half of your life points." (MLP: 1600)

"You seem to have really learned how to deal with an Armor Deck...not! You may have dealt a lot of damage, but that hardly means I'm finished. My Armor Deck can and will crush you, no matter what sort of counter strategy you think you have!" Masue chuckled, still confident despite his opponent's lead.

"Whatever you say Masue. I know I can win this duel, and I will, that I can guarantee. Now, I set one card face down and pass the turn to you." A card appeared to replenish his numbers, leaving him with just one card in his hand.

Masue snickered and held out the card he had just drawn. "I activate the magic card Psychic Gravitation! This lets me special summon one Psychic Armor Head(0/500) to the field, and I summon it in defense mode!"

The blue helmet with its black visor appeared in front of him, not quite latching onto his head yet. "I'll throw in a little face down action and leave it at that."

Kai eyed the face down card carefully as he drew his card, but he didn't seem particularly bothered by it. "I was waiting for you to summon Psychic Armor Head, the monster that refuses to remain dead. However, there is a method to defeat it for good, and you're looking at it!"

He pointed to his Guardian of Time which had its staff raised, revealing two glowing points of light. "For each magic card played my Guardian of Time gains a magic counter, and I can remove two of them to remove one enemy monster from play. So say goodbye to Psychic Armor Head!"

The magician waved his staff, and the blue armor head blinked out of existence, leaving Masue with nothing but his face down card to protect him. Masue sneered at this. "Bastard...you'll pay for removing my monster!"

"Perhaps, but we'll find out now that I attack!" Guardian of Time fired a beam of energy from its staff directly at Masue. If the attack hit then Masue would lose all of his remaining life points and the duel would be over.

"Reveal trap card, Attack Redirecting Armor! This armor equips to your monster and switches the target of your attack to itself!" An evil looking set of armor settled around the Guardian's middle, and the beam of energy changed directions in mid-air. It slammed into the magician and blew it apart.

"Very well. With that my turn is ended."

Masue drew and then he started to laugh. He held out the card for Kai to see, and the other duelist grimaced at the sight of it. "All your efforts are in vain! I summon Psychic Armor Head(0/500) in attack mode!"

The familiar blue armor shimmered out from the card. "Now, a move that you should find familiar. I activate Armored Gravitation, which special summons four level four or lower armors from my deck to start off!"

Four cards ejected from his deck, and one by one he slammed them onto his duel disk. "Meet Burning Knuckle Armor(0/1000), Overboost Armor(0/1000), Active Guard Armor(0/2000), and last but not least is Jet Gauntlet Armor(0/1500)!"

A blue armored right arm appeared, followed by a pair of legs, a chest plate, and a left arm that ended as what looked like missiles. "Now, for the next part of my card all of my armors join with me in order to become the mighty Borgman(0/0)!"

Piece by piece they connected with him until he was fully covered by a space aged suit of armor, every piece of his body covered. "It's time to calculate the chances of my success!"

The Psychic Armor Head scanned his opponent's field, and spoke to him. "Analyzing opponent's set cards. 73 chance that face down cards are traps. Calculated with ability of Overboost Armor to protect armors from traps creates a 94 success rate."

"That sounds perfect to me! Now, as my Psychic Armor Head would likely tell me, the best choice for my attack is Burning Knuckle, which gains two hundred attack for every armor in play. Since I have five that means it has one thousand attack points!" He raised his right arm, displaying its power.

The crowd cheered as the mighty borgman that was Masue Ihachi prepared himself, settling back on his heels and sliding into a runner's pose. "Get ready, because I'm about to unleash real power upon you! Attack time!"

Overboost hurtled him forwards at intense speeds and his right fist slammed into Kai's chin, hurling the other duelist backwards into the metal wall. Kai slid down, but caught himself before he could really fall. "You're strong...but that's not a problem. You see, you fell into my trap." (KLP: 3000)

"Say what? What trap? Traps don't work on me when I have Overboost in play!" Kai chuckled and pointed to one of his two face down cards, which was now lifting up.

"Compensation of Oppression is an interesting trap card that can only activate when I receive damage. For every instance of one thousand damage I can special summon one level four or lower monster from my deck to the field. That means I can choose one, so here is Atom Sorcerer(1000/1000)!" The strange looking spellcaster emerged, staring down Masue.

"That's what you have to face me? It hardly matters at all, considering I can now activate the magic card Armor Repairs! This increases my life points by five hundred for every armor I have in play." His armored body glowed as little nicks in his armors were repaired, making him perfect. (MLP: 4100)

"Since I've done that I end my turn. Sadly all monsters summoned by Armored Gravitation go to the grave at the end of my turn." The four armor pieces faded away, leaving only Psychic Armor Head attached to him.

Kai nodded and drew, then pointed at Psychic Armor Head. "Atom Sorcerer attacks your monster!" The blast caught Masue in the head, blasting him onto his back and dropping his life points. (MLP: 3100)

Masue pulled himself back to his feet, grinning confidently in a manner similar to Drake's grin. Kai bowed his head in recognition of his opponent's strength. "Your turn Masue."

Masue drew and Psychic Armor Head was special summoned back to his field according to its effect. "Here's some more power for you, Busterpile Armor(0/0) in attack mode!"

Another right arm appeared and attached to his arm. "Busterpile can destroy any monster it attacks at a cost of itself, but the opponent also takes five hundred damage. So, Busterpile Strike!"

Prongs shot out from the end of Busterpile and stabbed into the sorcerer. The monster shattered, but Kai remained strong, especially when four beams of light settled onto his field. "When my monster dies I can special summon four tokens, Electron Sorcerer(500/500), Proton Sorcerer(500/500), Quartz Sorcerer(500/500), and Neutron Sorcerer(500/500)!" (KLP: 2500)

"Bah! Those little wimps won't do anything to help you! I set one card face down and end my turn." He placed his last card face down, protecting his still defenseless Psychic Armor Head from an attack.

Kai drew, and then slid one of his cards into his duel disk. "I play Spell Blade Infusion, which destroys all spellcasters in play and grants me three hundred life points for each one. That's four, so it's twelve hundred life points." (KLP: 3700)

The crowd and Masue all looked on in confusion, wondering why Kai had made such an action. He had gotten those monsters only to destroy them. "When Electron Sorcerer is destroyed I draw twice, when Proton goes I destroy one of your magic or trap cards, when Neutron goes I lower the level of one monster in my hand by two, and when Quartz goes I destroy all non-token monsters in play."

Masue watched in horror as energy engulfed his field, burning away his face down card and his Psychic Armor Head, leaving him totally defenseless. Kai held up his five card hand and then slammed a card from his hand onto the disk. "Thanks to Neutron Sorcerer I can now summon Time Mage(2400/2500) without sacrifice!"

Another monster, this one very similar to Guardian of Time appeared, facing down Masue. Even Masue couldn't help but be impressed, as Kai had managed a combo to summon a strong monster and clear the field for an attack. "Time Mage, attack Masue directly!"

The attack threw Masue backwards, but he caught himself with his feet and slid to a stop, shaking off the damage from the strike. "I'm still in this, even without most of my life points!" (MLP: 600)

"Still in, but you have no cards in your hand and none on the field. So let's see if you can face me and my new set card." His newest card replaced previous ones, giving him two cards face down still.

Masue drew, and Psychic Armor Head returned. "Ha! Eat this, Card of Sanctity!" Both duelists drew until they held six. Masue drew six cards and Kai drew three cards.

"You should recognize this card, it's War Path! And it will destroy both of your face down cards!" Kai grimaced as tanks rolled over his face down cards, demolishing his chances of halting any attack easily. (KLP: 3100)

"I summon Big Bang Blow Armor(0/500) whose effect I'm sure you remember. When it dies in battle all other monsters go as well, and the attack of those monsters is dealt to our life points. In order to protect my life points I play Armor Safeties, which keeps me from losing life points in armor battles until the start of my next turn!" The armor fist attached to him, and it glowed with protective energy.

"I attack you with Big Bang Blow!" He charged in, and Kai grimaced as he realized what he would have to do.

"When magic cards are played my Time Mage gains a counter, and I can remove one when he is targeted by an attack or effect to remove him from the game for the turn!" Time Mage vanished, and Masue's fist met nothing but air, effectively negating the attack.

"Damn it all! I'll still get your stupid ass monster with this next card, which I'll set face down. End turn." A card appeared set in front of him.

Kai drew, but before he could take any other action Masue's set card flipped up. "My trap card is Big Bang Confrontation, which forces one opposing monster into battle with Big Bang Blow immediately! So let's dance big boy!"

Time Mage, having returned to the field, immediately charged into battle. Masue rushed to meet it, and decked the monster. Energy engulfed the two, and an explosion cleared the field of every monster, hurling both duelists backwards. "That was fun, don't you think?" (KLP: 600)

Kai groaned, holding his chest which was now burned, his body aching from the blast. Masue was breathing hard, but looked to be in better shape than Kai was. "Fun is in the eye of the beholder...but you have opened up my options. It seems I'll have to do things the hard way by activating this card, Temple of Birth!"

A massive temple of gothic architecture formed behind Kai, and five rays of light shot out of Kai's deck and into the temple. "When activated this card destroys all monsters in play, but neither of us has any. Then I remove five monsters from my deck from play."

He held up five cards, and then slid them into his back pocket. "On my third turn after activation those five monsters will be special summoned to the field. During that time I cannot set or summon in any manner, so it's all up to my magic and trap cards."

Kai fanned out his remaining six cards, and started selecting some of them. "You're sure confident, but you can't defeat my Armors with magic and traps alone, no, I'll crush you before you even summon your monsters!"

"We'll find out if that's true in three turns. Till then, I set two cards face down. Let's see if you can back up your claims Masue, or if you're nothing but hot air!" Now it was monster versus magic and traps, and only one could survive.

Masue drew, allowing Psychic Armor Head to return. Then he held up another of his cards, and fire exploded from his cemetery, emerging as four different armor pieces. "Phoenix Gravitation lets me special summon four armors from my grave for one turn, and now they equip to me!"

He posed dramatically as they connected to him, making him the Borgman once again. "Next up I'll activate another Armor Repairs, restoring my life points again!" Energy floated from his armored body to his duel disk, bringing him back to nearly full. (MLP: 3100)

"Then I activate Armor Refurbishing, which lets me draw one card for every armor I have in play! That's five, so I draw five cards!" He snapped an additional five cards off his deck, giving him more options to work with.

He held up his right fist, which was revealed as the familiar Burning Knuckle. "Burning Knuckle(1000/1000) now has the power to finish you in one strike, so I'll attack you directly!"

Masue jetted across the field, and slammed his fist into Kai's jaw. Kai was hurled backwards, but he caught himself and managed to remain standing for a brief moment. Then he swayed and fell to his knees. "I'm not done...Magic Life Restoration restores my life points by twelve hundred." (KLP: 800)

"You just won't die is that it? I activate Safety Net, preventing my armors from being destroyed during this turn! Now they will remain, keeping me as the borgman." Kai shuddered and rose to his feet, then pointed to his remaining set card.

"Chrono Jump lets me choose one phase, and in your next turn you won't have that phase. I choose battle phase, so in your next turn you can't attack me at all." Masue shrugged and slid one more card onto his duel disk, ending his turn and leaving him with three cards in hand.

Kai drew, then slid two of his cards onto his duel disk. "I...set two cards face down. That's all I can do."

He still had two more turns before he could get the five monsters he had sent out of play, and until then he had to use only his magic and trap cards to defend himself. Masue on the other hand could use any methods. "Bah, you're a nothing to me! Activate field magic card, Armor Battle Zone! In this place there is no limit to the armors our fields can hold, so I summon Command Armor Brain(0/0)!"

A mechanical brain-like armor appeared and settled onto the back of Psychic Armor Head, latching into place. "This monster has its uses, but for the moment all it does is boost Burning Knuckle to twelve hundred attack. Since I have no battle phase I end my turn right there."

Kai glanced down at his drawn card and then shoved it into his duel disk, giving him a grand total of three set cards. "That card face down. Then I end."

'_I have to hope that I can make it through...next turn I get what I need, so I must survive this turn!'_ He breathed in and then out unsteadily, knowing that there would be no coming back if he lost this duel, so there was no choice but to win.

A card ejected from Masue's deck, revealing that he had skipped his draw phase to have Psychic Armor Head add an armor from his deck to his hand. "I summon Explosive Shell Armor(0/500) which can automatically send all monsters or all magic and traps on our fields to the grave, and I choose magic and traps!"

The cracking armor emerged, and then detonated. The explosive consumed the field, burning away Masue's single set card and blowing apart all three of Kai's. Now the path was clear, and Kai had nothing left. "Time to end you!"

The blow caught Kai in the gut, and his breath left him as he fell to his knees, barely able to move. "End? Take...another...look." Kai managed to wheeze out, and pointed to his duel disk. (KLP: 1400)

"What kind of nonsense is that?" In response to the question Kai ejected three cards from his cemetery and held them up.

Finally getting his breath back the older duelist was able to give a spoken response. "You didn't destroy my cards, I did. I triggered Emergency Provisions and sacrificed my two face down cards, boosting my life points by two thousand. So I survived your attack."

"Survived? You survived nothing! I activate Battle Replay, which lets me have another battle phase at a cost of my next turn's battle phase. Take this!" He grabbed Kai with his left arm and pulled him up, then landed a heavy blow to Kai's face, dropping him to his back. (KLP: 200)

Masue spat onto the ground next to Kai and then stalked back to his side of the field. "One measly card face down, and that's all. No matter what you summon it can't save you now."

Kai held out his card and then raised both of his arms above his head. "Temple of Birth, your purpose has been served. Activate your effect and bring me the five monsters I removed!"

Five beams of light shot out and one by one slammed down in front of them. He named them off as they appeared, magical knights in different colored armor. "Introducing Breaker the Magical Warrior(1600/1000), Effect Breaker(1600/1000), Monster Breaker(1600/1000), Spell Breaker(1600/1000), and last but not least is Breaker Blader(1600/1000)!"

The five breakers struck a pose, the tips of their swords meeting. Masue snorted in amusement, not seeming impressed. "This is your answer, this is what you removed to summon? They don't have effects without their counters, and they only gain counters when they are normal summoned, and you special summoned them. That makes them useless!"

"Useless? No monster is useless, and these monsters are only here to give way to the ultimate force, the one creature who was their mentor, a monster of undefinable power. Prepare to meet the ultimate breaker! I sacrifice all five of my monsters to summon it!" The five breakers converted into balls of energy and combined together in the middle of the field.

The crowd watched in amazement as the energy gathered, and finally a brand new breaker was born, this one in armor identical to the others, but it was solid gold. "Meet Breaker the Holy(2500/2500)!"

Masue sneered at the powerful looking monster, obviously not impressed. "What's that thing going to do? Five monsters just for one creature that's only nine hundred points stronger?"

"Nine hundred? Not exactly, you see since I sacrificed five breakers to summon him he starts off with the maximum of five magic counters, and like his pupils he gains three hundred attack points for each counter. That means he has four thousand attack points!" Masue stepped back in shock as Breaker the Holy raised his sword, energy flowing out from it.

"Also, he has the ability of each of the other breakers, which is how they learned them. Which means I have five effect options, and five counters to use for them. To start with I activate Breaker the Magical Warrior's effect and destroy your set card!" Breaker pointed to the card, and it exploded into dozens of pieces, leaving nothing left.

"Next I remove two counters to destroy Jet Gauntlet Armor, Active Guard Armor!" The breaker slashed its blade twice, and Masue's left arm and chest pieces exploded, leaving him with just a few more armors left.

Since it had used up three counters it only had thirty-one hundred attack points left. "It's time to attack. Breaker the Holy will bring you down once and for all!"

Masue grimaced and charged in, smashing his right arm into Breaker the Holy. The fist shattered against the monsters' armor, and it proceeded to backhand Masue away from it. "I can choose your target, so Burning Knuckle's effect kicks in, draining your monster of eight hundred attack points. Not only that, but I remain standing!" (MLP: 800)

Kai snapped his fingers, and Breaker the Holy lifted its blade once again, even thought its armor was slightly cracked and its attack power reduced to twenty-three hundred. "The only person that will remain standing is me! Activate Breaker Blader's effect, sacrificing one more counter to have Breaker the Holy attack you once again!"

Breaker the Holy's attack power dropped to twenty-three hundred as it swooped in and slashed its blade down on Masue's head, shattering Psychic Armor Head and sending him hurling backwards. The young dueling progidy hit the far wall and dropped to his knees, blood running down between his eyes. "Amazing...you actually did it." (MLP: 0)

Kai struggled to step forwards as he shut down his duel disk, causing the monsters to fade away. The duel was over, and he had managed to win. "Yes, I did. Now, tell me where to go from here."

Masue pointed to the door off to his right, which slid open. "In there is the Inner Sanctum, that's where you have to go. You did good...I'm truly impressed that you won. Looks like you are a strong duelist after all. So maybe one day...we can duel again, just for fun."

Kai stopped at the doorway, and then looked back at the fallen duelist with a slight smile. "Maybe."

Then the door closed behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Next Chapter: Troop Roll-Out_

Author's Notes: Kai has successfully defeat Masue and his Great Armor Deck, and now he too advances to the Inner Sanctum. While the contents of this place remain a mystery still, another duelist now steps up to see what the Underworld of Dueling has to offer. It's Kirani's turn to rumble!

_Review Responses_

John: Armors rock, that's all I can say. One of my favorite sets, even though I had them lose.

WolfGeneral: Oh yeah, after I first saw Shining Flare Wingman I knew I had to write it into this story.

Time Mage: Bahamut only comes out in order to judge people. As it is a living creature it won't attack unless the opponent deserves the attack. Plus its insanely hard to summon and I'm not sure how it works.

Gryphinwyrm7: I would have liked to add in the comments, but it all came down to a space frame. That chapter would have ended up longer than I liked if I added that sort of thing. Besides, the previous duel was meant to be more dramatic.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Masue: Spikefist Armor, White Armor Buckler, Psychic Gravitation(submitted by David Knott), Armor Repairs, War Path, Armor Safeties, Big Bang Confrontation, Armor Refurbishing, Safety Net, Armor Battle Zone, Command Armor Brain, Explosive Shell Armor

Kai: Magic Circle of Light(TM), Mysterious Magister(TM), Guardian of Time(TM), Compensation of Oppression(TM), Atom Sorcerer(TM), Spell Blade Infusion, Time Mage(TM), Temple of Birth(TM), Chrono Jump, Magic Life Restoration, Effect Breaker, Spell Breaker, Monster Breaker, Breaker Blader, Breaker the Holy

**Anime Cards**


	23. Troop Roll Out

Author's Notes: Now it's Kirani's turn to step up and kick some ass!

_**Chapter Twenty-Two: Troop Roll-Out**_

Kirani grimaced and glanced around, trying to find any trace of the others. She had jumped to the side when an arrow flew at them, and then when she turned back there was no trace of the others or the hall they had been in. It was like the wall had closed after her.

"Damn it...why is there always a trap door?" There was nobody to answer her. Instead, a door behind her slid open, revealing a small ring of lights, almost beckoning her to enter.

"Yeah...that's not foreboding." She rolled her eyes and stepped forwards, walking down the path of lights until she came to their end. Suddenly the entire area around her was flooded by lights, revealing her to be in a large circular room of steel and plexiglass.

"Welcome to a duel you cannot hope to win little girl. I commend you for making it this far, but your weakness will soon be revealed. I am Cameron Watts, and you are to be my opponent!" The man who had spoken was tall, just a handful of inches shorter than Dalin, and he had a crew cut and a sleeveless shirt on, displaying his muscles.

"Whatever. I'm not in the mood to deal with arrogant muscle heads right now, so let's get this duel started shall we?" She pressed the activation stud, and her duel disk sprang to life, the duel tray transformed, and the life points were set. (KLP: 4000)

"You're a confident little one, not that it will matter. In a duel against me, confidence is insignificant. I won't be out-dueled by a little girl barely old enough to be out on her own." He smirked and raised his duel disk over his head, greeted by the roaring cheers of the crowd. (CLP: 4000)

Kirani rolled her eyes and flicked six cards off her deck and into her hand. "How come I'm the one who gets paired with idiots? Oh well, I set two cards face down and a monster in defense mode. Go on and take your turn muscle head."

Cameron chuckled as he drew five cards, then drew a sixth for the start of his turn. "Just as I suspected, like every woman you are strong willed but incapable of true strategy. That is the problem of a woman's mind, too unfocused to accomplish great strategic maneuvers. Now, watch a man's power and strategy at work!"

"Oh brother. Fine, show me your power and strategy at work and I'll sit here. If I yawn a bit, don't mind me, that's just a sign of boredom." Her remark got a laugh from the audience, and suddenly it seemed like they were against Cameron. He snarled in irritation and slammed a card onto his duel disk.

"I'll show you! I summon Panzer Tank Unit(1400/1200) in attack mode!" A massive crude looking tank rolled out onto the field, and leveled its weaponry at Kirani. She stepped back slightly in response to the appearance of the massive weapon of destruction.

"Prepare to feel the wrath of German ingenuity. You see they mass produced these little devils, and so the same can be said of the Panzer itself. When normal summoned I can take the other two from my deck and unleash a blitzkrieg as I summon them in attack position!" Kirani grimaced as two more identical tanks rolled out into position.

Kirani settled back onto her heels, aware that her set monster could still defend against these attackers. "I activate the continuous magic card United Army! This card boosts the attack points of all my machines and warriors by 200 for every other machine and warrior I have in play. So now each Panzer Tank Unit gains four hundred attack points!"

She paled a little as the tanks gained additional attack points, making them stronger than her set monster. "Panzer Tank Unit attacks your set monster!"

The tank fired a volley and blew her monster away. "Second Panzer Tank Unit attacks you directly!"

"Not quite, activate Lightning Revival! This brings back one light-type monster from my grave, so Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650) returns in defense mode!" The armored humanoid monster returned in a crouched position, only to be blasted apart by a shell attack from the next tank.

"Panzer Tank Unit the final one attacks you directly for eighteen hundred damage!" Kirani grimaced and pointed to her face down card, and a barrier of water shot up to block the cannon fire, protecting her from harm.

"Squall Barrier negates your attack and lets me add a Gilford from my deck to my hand. So, are you done?" Cameron chuckled at her as she added a monster to her hand, and then he slid one card from his hand onto his disk and motioned for her to make her move.

She held out one of her cards, and energy began to swirl around in front of her, forming into Kaiser Seahorse. "Monster Reborn resurrects Kaiser Seahorse in attack mode. Then I'll join him by using this monster's effect to special summon it. Gilford the Swift(1400/500) in attack mode!"

Cameron sneered as the two monsters appeared, making her nearly even with him in the monster department. "You think you can rush me? Nobody can rush me, not with my strategy. So please, show me what you can do."

"You want to see my power? Well you've got it, as I sacrifice both my monsters, counting as three, in order to summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) the man himself!" The two monsters shattered and were soon replaced by a towering warrior in silvery blue armor and a green robe around his waist. At his back was a huge sword.

"Activate special ability, Raigeki Blade!" Gilford swung his sword, and lightning bolts rained down on the three tanks. Each one blew up, one after the other, leaving Cameron with nothing on his field but a single set card.

"This is what you're about to get. Attack him directly with Thunderbolt Cut!" Gilford rushed forwards, his sword pointing directly at Cameron.

"Ha! No strategy whatsoever. A good strategist knows when to have someone else to take the fall, so I have the magic card Decoy, which I can play from my hand at any time. By discarding cards from my deck equal to half the level of the attacking monster I can negate all damage!" A dummy version of Cameron appeared and was run-through by Gilford and torn to pieces.

The muscle bound duelist slid four cards off the top of his deck and into the cemetery. Then he folded his arms across his chest, waiting for her to continue. "You think you're so good huh? We'll see quite soon. Activate Card of Sanctity!"

Both duelists snapped up additional cards, giving them a grand total of six cards each. "Hmmm...I can't really go on the offensive yet, but since you're in no position to make a real come back I'll just set one magic or trap card face down. How's that for strategy?"

Cameron frowned even as he drew another card, shaking his head in amusement. "You call that strategy? All that is happens to be brute force. You need different elements in combination with force to get the job done. Here, allow me to demonstrate."

He held up his newly drawn card, revealing a game board with a spinner. "Back To Square One lets me discard one card from my hand to return a monster on your field to the top of your deck. So, it's time to say goodbye to it."

He chuckled and pointed at Gilford, which vanished and popped up off Kirani's duel disk. She grimaced and caught it in mid-air, then slid it on top of her deck. "Just because you got rid of Gilford the Lightning doesn't mean I'm defenseless. And I can promise that he'll be back."

"I'd agree with that promise. You see, returning Gilford was just step one of my strategy. Now here's how it really works. Activate trap card, Conscription Order!" His face down card revealed itself, and then the top card of Kiran's deck began to glow.

"Here's how it works. Conscription Order turns over the top card of your deck. If it's a magic or trap card it goes back. If it's a monster then it's summoned to my side of the field. So now you see...I prepared myself and now your strongest monster is mine. Come to me, Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400)!" The light shot from the top of her deck and landed on his deck.

"No way...Gilford the Lightning is yours?" She stared at the figure that formed on his field, for the first time ever facing down Gilford the Lightning on the opponent's side of the field instead of hers. And worst of all it was her Gilford, not her opponent's.

"That's right, and the more strategy the better, which means I'll take all of your strongest weapons from you! Activate magic card, Forced Recruitment! For each card I discard I can special summon one copy of a monster in play from either player's deck. So I discard two cards!" He slid two more of his cards into the graveyard to pay for the effect.

Kirani grimaced as two more beams of light shot out of her deck and landed on his duel disk. Two more towering warriors appeared, giving him a grand total of three Gilford the Lightnings. "How fun, your best monsters will be your downfall! Sadly these newly summoned monsters cannot attack this turn...but the original can!"

He smirked and slammed another card into his duel disk, and a soldier appeared in front of him holding a mortar. Another soldier dropped an explosive into it, and it fired off, slamming into Kirani's set card and blowing it apart. "The magic card Mortar destroys one card on the field, so your field is empty. Now, Gilford the Lightning(3200/1400) attacks you directly!"

Kirani screamed in pain as electricity surged through her body from the assault, shocking her and making her stumble backwards. She had never experienced its attack, and under the conditions set for them it seemed all the worse. "My very best monster...fighting against me." (KLP: 800)

"You see, I told you women were incapable of using true strategy. Now I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards...and then I set these two drawn cards face down. Go ahead and take your turn little girl, but it will all be over soon enough." He snickered, watching her struggle to get back up and fight on.

She glanced down at the card, and then slapped it into position. "You may have taken away my key monsters, but that hardly beats me! I summon Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) whose special effect lets me draw the top card of my deck and the bottom card!"

She pulled two more cards off her deck, but was forced to pause when Cameron's set card flipped up and send a spray of purple vapor at Gilford of Thunder. The warrior stumbled backwards, coughing and holding a hand in front of his face. "What's going on?"

"The trap card Gas Attack gives you two options. You can either take one hundred damage for each level star of your monsters, or you can make a strategic retreat and send Gilford of Thunder to the top of your deck. Which will it be?" Kirani paused, considering the two options.

She knew that if she took the damage then she'd hardly have any way to fight back with just four hundred life points. If she sent it to the top of her deck she could draw it again next turn and use its effect again. "I return it to the top of my deck."

"Yes, and you fall into my trap once again! I reveal the second Conscription Order, and that special summons Gilford of Thunder(1800/1400) to my side of the field!" She clenched her fists tightly, biting back a cry of frustration as another of her monsters came under her opponent's control, and he got to draw two cards.

"I set three magic or trap cards and then end my turn." Now that was all she had between him and her former monsters, all of whom had a boost of six hundred attack points, making them deadlier than ever.

"I'll sacrifice your Gilford of Thunder to summon Anti-Tank Cannon(2000/2000) which gains six hundred attack. Not that it will be attacking, since I forfeit its attack to destroy one of your set cards!" A massive cannon on treads appeared in front of him and launched a volley, blowing apart one of her three face down cards and leaving her with just two more.

"Now I activate Mortar Shell, which can be tributed to Anti-Tank Cannon to destroy one of your cards and deal five hundred life points of damage to you. Say goodbye to another face down card!" She grimaced as another volley was launched, blasting away all but the last of her set cards. And that one had been her Mirror Force. (KLP: 300)

"I bet you're glad that you didn't take the four hundred damage last turn, since now you can survive. Oh well, it hardly matters. Gilford the Lightning will finish you off right now!" She grimaced and snapped her fingers, causing her set card to flip up. The attack fizzled out and Gilford returned to his former position.

"All three of my traps were good ones, and this one was Negate Attack, so that means I'm still in this duel. What does your strategy have to say about that?" Cameron shrugged as if it hardly mattered and then placed the last card in his hand onto his duel disk.

She drew and frowned at the five cards she held. "I set one magic or trap card and one monster face down. That's all for now."

He chuckled at her pathetic move and slapped his newest card onto his duel disk. "This is all you can manage? Then allow me to show you what I can manage with my attacker, the Bf-109 Dogfighter(1600/1400)!"

A jet fighter of older style now buzzed overhead, proudly displaying the cross that represented the German army. "Bf-109 will strike your set monster to open a path to your life points, boosted all the way to twenty-four hundred attack!"

A spray of bullets blew apart her set monster, which briefly showed itself as a depressed looking young woman. "You just destroyed The Unhappy Maiden(0/100) whose effect now immediately ends your battle phase!"

"A good strategist knows how to fight back, not just defend hopelessly. Just like all women you prove yourself to be nothing of a strategist and a nothing of a duelist. I admit that you have a strong will, continuing even when facing your best monsters, but a strong will won't win the duel for you. End." He smirked, confident that his victory was assured with his assembled force of monsters.

Kirani paused in her draw, and thought on about Drake and all the times she had seen him duel against opponents who seemed to have the advantage. A smile played about her lips, and the room went quiet as they saw her smile. "You're wrong Cameron...that's my strength, the strength of my will. And that is what is going to defeat you!"

She pulled the card up and out, and then brought it to the front so that he could see it just like she could. "Magic card activates! You want a storm of will, well here's one! Lightning Vortex destroys all of your face-up monsters at the cost of one discard!"

A barrage of lightning bolts slammed into the five monsters on his field, blasting each of them to oblivion, leaving him with nothing but one set card. His eyes widened in surprise at seeing his gathered force so quickly obliterated. "Impressive...but it won't be enough to beat me."

"I never said Lightning Vortex would win the duel, but it is a start. Finally I set one magic or trap card face down, and end my turn." Now each duelist had only a single set card to protect them, and it was up to who drew the better card to see who would win.

"Counting on me not drawing a monster are you? Well, looks like your confidence pays off a little bit. All I've drawn is this monster...Mortar Cannon(0/0) in attack mode!" The same little cannon that he had used earlier formed, only this time it was a monster.

"Mortar Cannon has the same effect as Anti-Tank Cannon, only it doesn't have to forfeit an attack, it just has to be in attack mode. Now, shatter that set card!" The soldier dropped a mortar into it, and the explosive went flying and exploded in front of Kirani, licking at her with its flames.

"Now, I'm confident in my defense of Mortar Cannon, while I doubt you're the same. Draw all you wish, but without some form of strategy you cannot defeat me. Go ahead and draw, it doesn't matter!" Kirani frowned at his conviction, and frowned even more when the crowd roared in response, obviously on his side again.

"Wow, such confidence from you. Not that it will matter. Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) in attack mode!" According to its effect she drew a card from the top of her deck and one from the bottom, giving her a grand total of three cards.

"Now, it's time I attack and cut down your life points!" Gilford of Thunder rushed in, but when he slashed through the mortar it detonated, throwing him backwards and into Kirani.

"Ha! You activated my trap card, Trigger Mine! This activates when you destroy one of my monsters and negates all the damage. Then I get to draw one card for every two level stars of the monster that destroyed mine. That means two cards." He slid two cards off his deck, replenishing his numbers.

"Always so confident. I'm not bothered by your arrogance, but I will show you that it's my will power and my strategy that wins this, and that my being a woman in fact makes me stronger, not weaker!" Her conviction and her words pulled the crowd to her side, swinging them back and forth like a yo-yo once again as they changed sides.

"You can't possibly prove something like that. And all I need is one more card to prove it, so end your turn and let me get on with it." Kirani nodded and slid one of her three cards onto her duel disk. It materialized in front of her, ready to do its duty in protecting her.

He drew and held out the card, which started to shine. "Blitzkrieg Summon lets me remove one level four or lower monster from my graveyard and special summon any copies of that monster from my deck. So I remove Bf-109 Dogfighter!"

Two more the of jet fighters whizzed in overhead, doing aerial tricks in the little room they had to maneuver. Not only that, but United Army boosted each of them so that they had eighteen hundred attack a piece. "Don't worry little girl, things are about to change. I'm tired of all this metal, so let's take this fight out to sea..."

One of the side panels of his duel disk slid open and he fitted a card into it. Then the area around them began to change, and water filled up the arena all the way up to the plexiglass. Both duelists floated carefully in it, trying to stay up in the water while their cards floated in mid-air. "My Umi field magic card should do the trick now shouldn't it?"

"Umi? Why in the hell would a duelist like you who uses machines and apparently the occasional warrior use that field card? It only powers up water monsters, and I can't think of any water machines." Kirani looked at him quizically, but he only chuckled in response and threw out his remaining card.

"This is why! I sacrifice both of my Dogfighters in order to summon the very deadly Kriegsmarine Unterseeboot(2800/2500) in attack mode!" The two flying jet fighters vanished and Kirani waited for a monster to present itself. But nothing happened, it seemed like nothing had changed.

"Where's your monster? I don't see it." Cameron laughed and pointed down to the water. Kirani looked where he was pointing, and saw bubbles rise up out of the water.

"Unterseeboat is just the German way of saying submarine. My machine is under-water, and as long as it is in the only monster I have and Umi is in play it can attack you directly. Attack with Torpedo Launch!" Two plumes of water shot straight for Kirani and exploded near her, shaking up the water and shaking her around.

"Your attack is useless! I use Lightning Rod to drain all twenty-eight hundred damage, and then Lightning Rod is destroyed. Unfortunately all my Gilfords are in the graveyard, so I can't special summon one. Either way I'm still alive now aren't I?" Cameron shrugged, obviously not bothered by this.

"You can't defeat the strength of my Unterseeboat very easily, and in my next turn I'll just attack directly for the win. This is true strategy, using the very waters to my advantage. There's nothing you can do that can match this." He sneered at her and snapped his fingers. The submarine rose up, and now he stood upon the top of it, looking down at her.

"Draw your card pathetic little girl! It will do you no good, for no woman and few men can defeat the strength of Cameron Watts, the World War Two Duelist!" He threw back his head and started to laugh, and the crowd began to chant his name, obviously enthralled by his showmanship.

Suddenly his laughter was cut off by a very similar sound. It was Kirani, and she too was laughing. "What's so funny little girl?"

"You are! All your bluster and you overlooked one obvious fact about our dueling styles. You just played Umi...and my deck revolves around Gilford and the Storm. And storms involve electricity, which doesn't mix well with water." Cameron blinked in surprise, trying to figure out what this had to do with the duel.

"This is a duel, your electricity won't affect me more because of Umi. Besides, I still have four thousand life points while you have just three hundred. What could you possibly do that would save you?" Kirani drew, and then pointed her card at him.

"Just watch and learn! Because it's the power of electricity that's going to win this duel, along with the power of my will! Activate magic card, Gilford's Rise! I tribute my current monster to revive Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400)!" The towering warrior appeared, hanging onto a rafter above the water, looking down at them.

"Their attack strengths are equal, it will accomplish nothing to attack. Not to mention the fact that Unterseeboat cannot be destroyed in battle while Umi is in play." Kirani shrugged and slipped another card from her hand onto her duel disk.

"Yeah, well you better do some math, because my monster is stronger thanks to Titan's Storm, which boosts him by fifteen hundred points for one turn!" Gilford flexed his muscles as lightning surged through his body, pumping him up to a grand-total of forty-three hundred attack points.

"Ha! Deal fifteen hundred damage if you want, but I'll remain and so will my monster. Then next turn I'll simply attack directly to win. You see? My superior strategy has granted me victory!" He threw back his head and started to laugh again, but for the second time he was cut off by Kirani.

"I told you before that Umi was the worst place to bring out, since water conducts electricity. Not only that, but so does metal, and you're standing on what has become one giant lightning rod! So every ounce of juice I send your way is going straight for you!" Cameron eyed her askance, still not seeing where she was going.

"And I already explained that Umi doesn't conduct electricity like that. It's not how it works in the game of Duel Monsters!" Kirani chuckled just like he had, and then slid the card in her hand into her duel disk.

"Gilford the Lightning has a little something to say about that, thanks to the magic card Heart of Lightning, Soul of Thunder which destroys every card but one Gilford the Lightning that I have on the field and in my hand...but that's nothing now isn't it?" Cameron frowned as Gilford surged with even more electric power.

"For all of that cost what does it do?" Kirani brought up one finger to her throat, and then slid it across slowly.

"With no hope of being countered my monster is about to attack the water, which is a lightning rod that leads right to you and your life points. In other words Gilford the Lightning is about to attack you directly! Lightning Surge Attack!" Gilford dropped down from the rafter, his sword crackling with electricity.

Cameron's eyes widened as the electricity surged right through the water, and into the boat. It connected with him and his entire body began to spasm as it was shocked with millions of volts of electricity. "I told you water conducted electricity, but did you listen? No! Of course not, you're a man, and that means your weakness is that you're prideful and tend to think with something other than your brain." (CLP: 0)

The magically induced holograms faded away, leaving both duelists on the metal floor once again. Cameron lay unconscious face down on the ground. The door behind him opened up, and Kirani walked towards it, making sure to step on him on her way out.

She stopped at the door and flashed a big grin to the audience. "And that's what they call girl power."

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_Next Chapter: Of Insects and Dinosaurs_

Author's Notes: Kirani showed Cameron what a girl can really do by kicking his ass from her to L.A. Next up is another pair of duelists who you just may recognize against another pair you just may recognize. Till then, ciao!

Author's Note2: Also, as you may know Panzers were German tanks in WWII as a general term Bf-109s were the German jet fighters used in WWII. Kriegsmarine Unterseeboot was the general name for all submarines of various models used by the Germans in WWII. I call Cameron's deck a WWII Deck.

_Review Responses_

WolfGeneral: Personally I like Armor Decks, but I can understand where you're coming from.

John: That's the point actually, Breaker the Magical Warrior is Kai's favorite monster, so it's perfect for him to have more.

G.O.T. Nick: Breaker the Holy is a cool card I've been waiting to use for a while. And this was what Kirani unleashed.

Time Mage: Yes, I thought that it was a fun duel as well. Also, again I agree that Breaker the Holy rocks.

The White Mage: I wasn't sure who David Knott and since I didn't want to have to wait for an e-mail response I just went with it. Thanks for the use of your card. And yes, Breaker the Holy does indeed rock.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Cameron: Panzer Tank Unit, United Army, Decoy, Forced Recruitment, Mortar, Gas Attack, Anti-Tank Cannon, Mortar Shell, Bf-109 Dogfighter, Mortar Cannon, Trigger Mine, Blitzkrieg Summon, Kriegsmarine Unterseeboot

Kirani: Lightning Revival, Squall Barrier, Gilford the Swift, Gilford of Thunder, Lightning Rod, Gilford's Rise, Titan's Storm, Heart of Lightning-Soul of Thunder

**Anime Cards**


	24. Of Insects and Dinosaurs

Author's Notes: Much duelage now continues.

_**Chapter Twenty-Three: Of Insects and Dinosaurs**_

Rikuo snarled and swung his fist directly into the door, smashing it down and clearing a path for him. "I'm tired of all this stupid walking around and avoiding traps, and if I don't find something worthwhile soon I'm gonna have to kill somebody!"

"Geez, you sure are an arrogant guy. But it doesn't matter because I'll still wipe the floor with you." Rikuo paused, somewhat recognizing the gravely voice that had just spoken. But from where he couldn't quite be sure.

"Show yourself mortal!" Immediately after he finished speaking the area around them lit up, revealing Rikuo to be in a steel chamber surrounded by people watching them. There on the other side was an opponent that was slightly familiar, but different at the same time.

"By the look on your face I'd say you recognize me, the great and powerful Rex Raptor! Well now I'm new and improved from my old days, and I'll take you down with ease thanks to the strength I've gained from the Underworld of Dueling! Let's get this going so I can show you!" He smirked and unfolded his duel disk, which was revealed to be a dark green disk that slid out almost like a blade. (RRLP: 4000)

Rikuo narrowed his eyes at his opponent, taking in the differences. The old Rex Raptor had been shorter, while this one was about the same height as Rikuo. His face was also marred by a thin scar on his right cheek, and he seemed bigger than before as well. "So the little runt has grown up a little eh? Doesn't matter, I'll just have to walk all over you." (RLP: 4000)

"You're cocky for a guy who's about to lose. Go ahead Rikuo, show me what you can do, and from I can see in my hand I'll be able to drop your life points by at least half in one turn!" The crowd cheered at this cocky announcement, but it only made Rikuo think.

"Keh, already you reveal your strategy, you're an idiot even if you're better than before. I start off by summoning Ancient Gear Soldier(1300/1300) in attack mode!" A rusted mechanical soldier with a gun attached to its arm stepped up and out of his card, leveling its weapon at Rex. The dinosaur duelist hardly seemed bothered by this.

"Finally I set one magic or trap card face down and end it at that. Let's see that move you were talking about." He smirked, proudly displaying a fang over his lip. Rex growled in irritation and drew his sixth card.

"You want to see what I was talking about? Well here it is, I play Polymerization! This lets me fuse together two of my dinos in order to summon this mighty creature. Hell-Horn Saurus(2000/1600)!" A black pterodactyl looking monster shrieked as it flew out onto the field, flapping its leathery wings to keep it aloft.

"Feh, that monster can attack directly the turn its fusion summoned, I know. You practically gave away your move last turn by saying you could take half my life points. Its such an obvious move for a guy who uses dinosaurs. But really the only dinosaur here is you, washed up, a complete has-been! Or were you ever a been at all?" Rikuo snickered at his own joke, and he was joined by the crowd.

"I'll show you that nobody makes fun of me and gets away with it! I'm ten times the duelist you'll ever be! Hell-Horn Saurus, attack Rikuo directly!" The creature swooped down, slammed one wing into Rikuo's chest. He grunted and slid backwards, but otherwise he didn't seem hurt. (RLP: 2000)

"What do you have to say to them apples?" He expected to see Rikuo annoyed, but instead the demon just started laughing.

"Even after all these years you're still an amateur! I knew about your move ahead of time thanks to your boasting so I prepared accordingly with the quick-play magic card Ascetic's Enlightenment! When I take damage I draw one card for every increment of one thousand I took. That means I draw twice!" Rex grimaced as his opponent slid two new cards off his deck.

"You're so cocky huh? Well show me what you've got dog boy! You can't beat Hell-Horn Saurus or me and you know it!" Rex started to laugh, but it faltered fairly quickly when he saw Rikuo's eyes begin to glow red.

"You shouldn't have called me dog boy little dino breath, now I'm gonna have to hurt you, by starting with your monster. Go, Brain Control!" A spectral pair of hands attached to a brain launched out, seizing control of Hell-Horn Saurus an dragging it over to Rikuo's side of the field.

"My dino!" Now he was completely defenseless, and Rikuo had thirty-three hundred attack points worth of monsters.

"I don't need to go easy on you Raptor, I'll finish you off right now! I tribute both of these monsters for Irios the Steel Monarch(2700/2300) and since he'll be my only attacker after having been sacrificed for...that means his attack power doubles for the turn!" Rex's eyes widened in horror as the clunky machine monster gained enough power to crush him in one strike, reaching fifty-four hundred attack points.

"Direct attack! Finish him off immediately!" Irios charged in, ready to deck Rex. But suddenly the dino duelist's frightened demeanor changed as he slammed a card from his hand onto his strange duel disk.

"Now you've fallen into my trap! I knew you'd launch an assault against me, but I didn't expect you to go all out like that! The magic card Dino Crush can be played from my hand during the turn that a dinosaur goes to the grave. It destroys one monster on the opponent's field and deals half of its attack in damage to them. So you lose!" A massive dinosaur foot stomped down on Irios, crushing him completely.

"Here comes the damage, twenty-seven hundred of it, enough to finish you off!" The foot swung towards Rikuo who was thrown straight into the wall by the force of the strike. But he sprang back and landed on his feet, still cocky.

"Your magic card doesn't finish me, all it does is save you from losing. Go quick-play magic card, Curse of Pain! This redirects the damage to your life points instead of mine!" Rex's eyes widened as his life points took a shocking drop, going below Rikuo's. (RRLP: 1300)

"I set one card on the field and then it's back to you Raptor." The wolf demon smirked confidently even as his opponent drew for the turn.

"You'll pay for your cocky attitude. This direct attack will finish you, so come on out Giant Rex(2000/1600)! Attack him directly and finish him off!" A giant dinosaur with a fin on its back emerged and charged towards Rikuo.

"Whatever, reveal face down quick-play magic card, Distraction Device!" Giant Rex stopped in front of a little box, peering down at it. Suddenly a boxing glove shot out of it, nailing the dinosaur in the chin and sending it stumbling backwards.

"Damn it...you may have negated my attack, but that doesn't mean I'm done. I'll throw in one card onto the field and then that's all for my turn." Rikuo chuckled in amusement, surprised to actually see Rex set a card. He was notorious for not using magic and trap cards, but it seemed he had changed.

Rikuo glanced down at his hand of cards, and then selected the monster he wanted to summon. "I summon Super Electric Turtle(0/1800) in defense mode. Then I set one card behind it and end my turn."

The giant turtle with S and N on each side of its chest stomped out, glaring at Giant Rex. The dinosaur merely licked its lips in anticipation. "A giant turtle is your answer to my mighty dinosaurs? Pathetic!"

He snapped a card off his deck, and then pointed at the turtle. "Giant Rex will stomp that thing flat! Attack!"

Just as he said, the dinosaur charged in and crushed the turtle with a single stomp of its foot, obliterating it and leaving just a single face down card to protect Rikuo. "Now I set another card face down and end my turn!"

Rikuo drew, and then slowly placed the card onto his duel disk. "I'll just set one monster face down. Do see if you can beat it Rex, otherwise I'll be really bored this whole duel."

"I'll show you bored! I normal summon Gilasaurus(1400/1200) and have it attack the set monster!" A raptor monster appeared and then charged in and bit down on Rikuo's set monster. It shattered into a million pieces, but those pieces became energy that gathered on his field.

"Thanks Raptor, you just let me special summon a level four or lower union monster from my deck by flipping my Union Builder(200/100). Guess I'll just summon X-Head Cannon(1800/1000)!" He slapped the card down onto his duel disk and it emerged as a mechanical creature with cannons pointed right at Rex.

"It's nothing compared to Giant Rex. Squash it!" Giant Rex rushed in, in order to kill the machine. But a small laser appeared mounted on X-Head Cannon, peppering the dinosaur with little red lights. Then it fired a volley and blew away the dinosaur. (RRLP: 1200)

"Keh, you walked into that like an amateur. Laser Guidance System equips to one machine and boosts its stats by three hundred. In addition it can no longer be targeted by trap cards. Looks like you fossilized your own dinosaur!" He started to laugh, but was cut off when Rex doubled over with laughter.

"You want fossilization? Well I'll give it to you! Continuos trap card activates, Fossilization! Whenever a dinosaur is destroyed it comes back as a zombie with a boost of two hundred points. Meet Giant Zombie Rex(2200/1800)!" The destroyed dinosaur reappeared, this time as a massive skeleton with little bits of flesh hanging from it.

"Giant Zombie Rex will crush X-Head Cannon flat!" The zombie dinosaur followed the path its predecessor had taken and bit into the cannon. Unable to take the strain the machine blew up, pushing Rikuo back with the force. (RLP: 1900)

Rex Raptor smirked, now confident that he could still win. So his turn was over, giving control back to Rikuo. The wolf demon frowned, realizing that he would need another method to work with or he wouldn't actually win this. _'He's better than I gave him credit for. I still have to win though!'_

He glanced down at his cards, and then slapped two cards into place. "I set one monster face down, and then I set a magic or trap card behind it. Go ahead Rex, show me what you've got. Take me down if you want."

"And I do want to! I sacrifice Gilasaurus for Dark Driceratops(2300/2000)!" The raptor was replaced by a giant monster with a hooded bone pattern and spikes along it, all of them ready and able to deal some damage.

"This monster can deal damage through defense, so I'll have it destroy your face down monster!" The monster plowed right through Rikuo's set monster, blasting it into nothingness and leaving him with just one measly face down card. (RLP: 1800)

"Gear Golem the Moving Fortress(800/2200) is just barely weaker than your monster, so I didn't lose much in the way of life points. Also it triggers my trap card, Scrap Yard. That lets me draw one card for each level star of my destroyed machine, making a total of four." He slipped four more cards off his deck, restoring his hand to a workable size.

"Since you have no more cards in play it doesn't matter at all! Giant Zombie Rex, attack him for game!" The zombie stampeded towards Rikuo, but all of a sudden a force of energy wrapped around it, halting its strike.

"Super Electric Turtle when in the graveyard lets me negate one attack once in the game. Since you killed it earlier I was able to save myself from your attack. Guess that means the duel ain't over yet right?" Rex growled, but was forced to end his turn.

"You've given me more trouble than I would have guessed Raptor, and though you've improved quite a bit from your old days, you're still no match for me. Activate Silent Dead, to revive X-Head Cannon in defense mode." The machine returned, not really visible that it was in defense at all since it had no legs to crouch on.

"Now, I activate Bonds of Brothers, paying one thousand life points to special summon Z-  
Metal Tank(1500/1300) and Y-Dragon Head(1500/1600) to the field from my deck. Then I remove them all from the game to create XYZ-Dragon Cannon(2800/2600)!" The three familiar monsters merged together, becoming the familiar mechanical platform of death. (RLP: 800)

"No way!" Rex stepped back in horror, counting the cards needed to finish him off.

Rikuo held up the four cards in his hand and then slapped them together and shoved them into his graveyard. "Yes way! I discard my entire hand to destroy all four cards on your field!" Four missiles fired off, blowing apart each of Rex's cards in play.

"XYZ-Dragon Cannon, finish it with Hyper Destruction!" The blasts of energy knocked the punk dinosaur duelist back, leaving just a door opening behind him. Assuming that this was where he should go the wolf demon walked through it without another thought. (RRLP: 0)

Rex's eyes spun round and round in his head as he lay on his back. "I hate my life."

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Drake looked down at the door that was lying on the ground and noticed the imprint of a fist on it. "Looks like Rikuo has been having his share of fun. Now I guess it's my turn."

"Yes, he has. And now it's your turn to feel the wrath of a true duelist kid!" Drake stepped into the room that was beyond the door, and suddenly discovered himself in what looked like an underground arena, surrounded by people watching him.

"Gee, that's just weird, a giant underground dueling ring. Not that I should be surprised. So, who's my opponent?" Lights came down on a duelist with teal hair that was nearly as tall as he was. He wore a black vest with a spider drawn on the front, covering his chest, and he also had a pair of nasty looking glasses on his face.

"I will be your opponent! You may have heard of me, I'm Weevil Underwood, former Japanese Champion!" He laughed in a very sickening manner, and Drake stared at him for a second, and then smirked.

"Oh yeah, I think I know you. I heard about you at Duelist Academy...in Duelist History Class." Weevil snarled, his entire body shaking with rage as he raised his arm, unfolding his Orichalcos Slider, something Drake recognized. (WLP: 4000)

"I'll show you who's history! Prepare to taste my wrath kid! I'll show you the power of my insects!" He fanned out a hand of six cards, and prepared to take his turn.

Drake shrugged and activated his own duel disk, preparing to start it up. He drew five cards, looked down at them, and then looked back up at Weevil. "Sorry bug boy, but I don't want to taste anything that came from you." (DLP: 4000)

"Brat! I'll teach you a lesson in respect! I set one monster face down and one magic or trap card behind it! End turn!" The two cards appeared in front of him, and then he was done.

"Is that all? Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400)! Attack his set monster!" The night-robed magician raised his wand to fire, but suddenly he was forced to his knees as if by a heavy burden.

"Fool, your monster is too strong and too weighted down by his own power to attack. And it's all thanks to my continuous trap card, Gravity Bind! As long as this trap remains in play no level four or higher monster can attack, even mine!" He cackled in that annoying manner of his, having succeeded in stopping Drake's attack.

"You're an annoying little guy you know that don't you? Fine, if I can't attack for now I'll just have to set two cards face down and hope I draw what I need. Either way you're still locked down as much as I am." Two cards formed behind his magician, finishing his turn.

"Locked down? I'll show you true strategy by flip summoning Swarm of Locusts(1000/500) whose flip effect destroys one magic or trap card on my opponent's field!" A huge number of bugs swarmed across the field and descended on one of Drake's two set monsters, consuming it in just a few seconds time, leaving nothing but dust floating in the air.

"Now using its other effect I flip it face down. Then I set a monster face down and end my turn!" Another monster appeared beside the now once again face down monster, and it was once again Drake's turn.

"Using low level insects huh? Interesting strategy, but I doubt it will help. However, I still can't attack so I'll just build up an attack force for later with Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600). Go ahead." Seeing no point in setting any magic or trap cards, that was all he was going to do.

"Fool! I flip summon Swarm of Locusts!" The swarm of insects rushed across the field and consumed Drake's remaining set card, leaving him with just his two monsters. But since both were stronger than Swarm of Locusts it hardly mattered.

"Next I flip summon Plague Beetle(0/1500) whose flip effect deals you three hundred points of damage!" An ugly purple beetle appeared and sprayed noxious gas at Drake, who threw up an arm to cover his mouth from the gas. He coughed and retreated, his eyes stinging from the effects. (DLP: 3700)

"I flip both of them face down according to their effects. Then I'll set one monster face down and add a face down card to the mix as well! See how you can deal with this, my unlimited strike tactic, that lets me reuse these monsters again and again to clear away your strategies and then launch one finishing strike against you!" He cackled again, and Drake reached up a hand to rub at his ears.

"You're one loud annoying guy. You're especially cocky for a guy who used to be what? Three feet tall?" Weevil scowled, the crowd laughing at him as they pictured him in the old days when he was short enough that he saw eye-to-eye with Yugi Motou, quite literally.

"You'll regret bringing that up!" Drake shrugged and slapped another card onto his duel disk, summoning a magician in red robes.

"Sunrise Magician(2000/1300) in attack mode, and that's all. Back to you little guy." Weevil snarled and snatched the next card off his deck, still pissed by Drake's cocky manner.

"I flip both of my monsters, not destroying a card but dealing three hundred damage non-  
the-less. Also, my remaining set monster will crush you completely. Just watch!" Even as Drake retreated from the poison gas Weevil was reaching for his last set monster and flipping it up. (DLP: 3400)

"Meet 4-Starred Ladybug of Doom(800/1200)! Her flip effect destroys all level four or higher monsters in play, so that means all of your monsters are destroyed!" Drake's eyes widened in surprise as all three of his monsters exploded, leaving him completely defenseless.

"That's right! Stare into the face of defeat, the power of my insects! I summon Swarm of Scarabs(500/1000) and then I launch an all out assault against your life points!" He cackled again as his monsters swarmed around Drake, picking and biting and stinging until they were satisfied. (DLP: 1100)

"Now, I flip all but my ladybug face down since only she cannot flip back down. But know this, Swarm of Scarabs can destroy one monster you have in play when it is flip summoned, so even if you try and defend you will fail!" Drake grimaced, realizing that he had to make a good draw in order to beat down this annoying duelist.

He looked down at his newly drawn card, and smirked. "You mentioned Battle City, which ran under ante-rules where the winner took the loser's rarest card. Well I won this next card in an ante-rule duel against a girl named Autumn who used it to get some damage in. Meet the rare and powerful Raigeki!"

Weevil stumbled backwards in horror as the bolt of lightning hit his field, blowing apart each and every one of his monsters. "I can't believe you have a card that rare! Unbelievable!"

"It is pretty wild isn't it? Well, since Gravity Bind is still active I'll set two cards face down and set a monster in defense mode, emptying my hand. Then it's back to you." Weevil frowned, realizing that he would have to make up for his losses now or never.

"What a perfect draw! I summon Leghul(300/350) in attack mode, and then I activate Cell Split which creates a clone token of it with the same effect!" Two worm-like insects appeared, their pincers clacking together in anticipation.

"My two Leghuls will now attack you directly!" The two insects zipped across the field, and each one bit into Drake, each of them on his shoulder. Drake screamed in pain as one of them bit into the wound caused by Fenrir, tearing through the bandages. (DLP: 500)

The audience roared as Drake's shirt began to be stained by the blood of his wound. Weevil looked confused by this, it didn't seem like such an attack should have done that much damage. "It looks like you came to us already injured, making this duel that much easier! How pitiful! Take your turn weakling!"

Drake's vision fuzzed for several seconds as he unsteadily reached for his duel disk and drew, the card shaking as he held it up. "The only weakling here is you...and I'll prove it. Flip summon Sage of Everlasting Light(500/400) and use its flip effect, guessing heads!"

The coin tossed into the air, and Drake attempted to reach out and catch it. But his vision fuzzed over again, and he missed it. It bounced across the metal floor, stopping in the middle of the ring. Weevil approached it, and then burst out laughing. "Tails! You failed, so discard the top five cards of your deck!"

Drake grimaced but did as his own card demanded. "It doesn't matter...still, I have a monster that's under level four. Attack a Leghul!" Weevil shrugged, not bothered by the fact that one of his two monsters was just blasted by the attack. After all, it was minimal damage. (WLP: 3800)

"Now...activate Magical Well, searching for a magic card. That ends my turn." He flipped through his deck until he found what he wanted, and then he reshuffled and returned his deck to its spot. Meanwhile Weevil had drawn, and seemed amused by what he saw.

"Such a sad state of affairs that my opponent is going to die so pathetically in front of me. Oh well, come out Skull-Mark Ladybug(500/1500) and suicide yourself against his Sage!" The little ladybug with the skull on her back slammed into his magician and both exploded. (WLP: 4800)

"When that insect is destroyed in battle I gain one thousand life points, so you've accomplished nothing. Now, Leghul attacks you directly...go for the right shoulder!" Drake screamed in terrible pain once again as the insect dug its pincers into his wound, drawing even more blood. (DLP: 200)

"You can't fight me, not with that injury! Surrender and maybe I won't have all my insects go after that wound to finish you!" His howling cackle was really starting to grate on Drake's last nerve, and he had no intention of letting the little bug get the better of him.

"Weevil, you're nothing but a gnat, the most worthless insect! Small, annoying, and completely harmless! Now I'm going to kick your ass with the use of Hell Spell Striker(2200/1500) and the magic card I selected, Magician's Storm!" Weevil looked on in terror as his Gravity Bind and set card were destroyed by the effect of Drake's magic card.

"I've got others, all I need is two hundred more damage and then you're done!" Drake grimaced, grabbing onto his shoulder as his head swam. He was quickly losing blood, so he would have to finish this up fast and use his Disc to repair some of the damage.

"Hell Spell Strike when it kills a monster adds one monster from my deck to my hand, although I can't summon or set that card this turn. Hell Spell Striker, destroy Leghul!" The beastly magician slashed apart the little insect, doing some significant damage to Weevil's life points. (WLP: 2900)

He pointed to one of his two face down cards, which immediately lifted off the ground. "Instant Effect lets me activate cards even now, effectively making my set card a quick-play. So I reveal that last face down card, Chaos Fusion!"

A warp of energy appeared in front of him, and the card from his hand along with his striker merged into it, coming out as a towering magician with a sword and a shield. "Hell Spell Striker and Heaven Spell Vanguard(1500/2200) fuse to become Chaos Spell Paladin(3500/3500). And since he was summoned during the battle phase...he attacks directly!"

Weevil screeched and turned around to run, but was caught by the sword on the back, propelling him face first into the far wall. He dropped to the ground, and finally the holograms faded. A door behind him opened, and Drake knew where to go. "At least its over...just nearly over. A little bit more and we're done." (WLP: 0)

Drake walked through the door holding his shoulder, leaving Weevil face down on the ground. Weevil stared at the cold hard steel beneath him and sighed. "I hate my life."

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_Next Chapter: Two Sides, One Coin_

Author's Notes: Rikuo and Drake put the smack down on Rex and Weevil. Now it's the time you've all been waiting for. Dalin versus Dalin, one good, one not-so-good! Angels versus Dark Angels, a match that's bound to blow you sky high!

_Review Responses_

G.O.T. Nick: I pretty much just wanted her to finish him dramatically with a cool connection like that. Why do you have to be unlucky to be named Cameron?

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Rikuo: Ascetic's Enlightenment(WG), Irios the Steel Monarch(WG), Distraction Device(WG), Union Builder(WG), Laser Guidance System(WG), Scrap Yard(WG)

Rex: Dino Crush, Fossilization

Drake: Guardian Magician of the Night, Skilled Chaos Magician, Sunrise Magician, Sage of Everlasting Light, Magical Well, Magician's Storm, Instant Effect, Hell Spell Striker, Chaos Fusion, Heaven Spell Vanguard, Chaos Spell Paladin

Weevil: Plague Beetle

**Anime Cards**

Rikuo: Super Electric Turtle, Bonds of Brothers

Rex: Giant Rex

Weevil: Cell Split


	25. Two Sides, One Coin

Author's Notes: This is it, Dalin vs ...errr...Dalin! Let's get on with the freaky coincidences and such!

_**Chapter Twenty-Four: Two Sides, One Coin**_

Dalin stopped at the doorway, frowning slightly at what he was feeling. He wasn't bothered by the fact that the door was gone, that was obviously the work of Rikuo. Nor was he bothered by the fact that all of his companions had vanished, it was obvious that they had gone ahead to this place.

What bothered him was that the energy signature he was feeling in the room was disturbingly familiar in a way that screamed that he should know it. Yet it was as if it was a signature he felt all the time yet never truly noticed. _'Whatever it is, I will face it.'_

He stepped into the room, and was nearly blinded by the spotlights that hit him. A voice came on over the loudspeakers almost instantly. "All of you who have gathered here today have witnessed many impressive duels, but none so spectacular as what is about to occur!"

One by one the spotlights started coming on around the room, revealing Dalin's surroundings to him piece by piece. "Those of you who have been here before may know of our strongest duelist, one of the best to ever live, a man who we have always said is the true Duel King! Dalin Imaki Sumatin!"

Dalin frowned, but said nothing as the connections were made. Alice's recognition of him, Kodowari saying he was from Underworld of Dueling...that was what he was feeling. Within this room was someone who was familiar to him in every way. Himself. _'Interesting.'_

"Today we have a special treat that none before have ever witnessed! Standing on one side of the field, standing at six feet and six inches is our mighty champion, Dalin Imaki Sumatin. Standing on the other side, hailing from an entirely different dimension and standing at an identical six feet and six inches is...Dalin Imaki Sumatin!" Dual spotlights hit the two duelists, revealing them to the audience.

An ear-shattering cheer rose up, people getting to their feet and screaming at the top of their lungs as the nearly identical men were revealed. The only physical difference between the two other than what they wore was the fact that one Dalin had long dark brown hair and the other hand long white blonde hair. "According to the rules set forwards the winner of this duel may take anything he wants from the loser, and if our challenger wins he advances to the Inner Sanctum. Let the games begin!"

The two duelists stared at each other...and stared at each...and stared at each other. Had they been outdoors one could have heard crickets sounding like gun blasts over the silence. "Ummm...is either duelist going to make the opening move?"

Dalin closed his eyes, feeling the power of his opponent, so identical to his own. He knew his own limits of strength, and he could tell that this man's were roughly the same. The one who was stronger however...that was the mystery. _'This will be a test of my strength and skill like no other.'_

Across the field this dimension's Dalin was thinking much the same thing, also sizing up his opposite. "If we are to duel, I suppose we should distinguish ourselves. If you would like, you can refer to me as Sumatin and I will refer to you as Dalin. How does that sound?"

Dalin nodded and raised his left arm, his duel disk snapping into position. "That is acceptable. Now, let's begin Sumatin. This duel...I will unleash all of my strength against you! I won't hold back at all!" He slammed his deck into place and the life point counter lit up. (DLP: 4000)

Sumatin snapped his eyes open, his deck sliding into his duel disk just like his opposite's had. His life points also rose to their starting point, and he was ready. "I won't hold back either. Now, take the turn and show me what my other half from another dimension can do." (SLP: 4000)

Both duelists drew their opening hands at blinding speed. Dalin's hand paused over his deck, feeling the flow of its energy. He looked into his opponent's identical eyes, and he knew what had to happen. "In order to win this duel I will go full strength from the very start. Meet my true power!"

He glanced down at the card, noting the signature color. He glanced at the other cards in his hand, and he knew what had to been done. _'So this is the power that I will have to use to win is it? Very well then, I will show him justice in the name of god...Obelisk the Tormentor!'_

"Activate magic card, Descent From Heaven! I may now send three angels from my deck to my cemetery in order to gain fifteen hundred life points!" He slid his deck out of the holder and quickly searched for the three cards. Then he dropped them into his discard pile.

Six points of light drifted out of his cemetery. Three of them fluttered down and were absorbed into his duel disk. The other three were pulled into his deck, which began to glow as well. "By sending Ascended Man(1200/500) to the grave all three times I draw three cards as well as gain fifteen hundred life points." (DLP: 5500)

Dalin pulled three cards off his deck in one swift motion, pumping his hand up to eight cards. Sumatin didn't even blink, but the audience seemed to be impressed. "Well played my opposite. But what now?

"Now? Now I activate Renewal of Triplets, special summoning all three from the grave to my field since each has the same name!" The three angels shot out of his cemetery, and formed on his field as men in brown monk's robes with halos and long white wings.

"Prepare to witness my strength! I sacrifice all three monsters in order to summon this instrument of justice. Be born upon this plane of existence, Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!" Sumatin's eyes went wide as the three angels disappeared, and the arena started to shake heavily as a massive blue form started to rise up out of the ground.

"I see...then that would mean in your dimension you truly are the Duel King. Perfect." He seemed overly satisfied and amused as the mighty god was born again, its form stretching the arena, its shoulders shoving into the plexiglass and shattered it. In the end Obelisk wasn't fully visible, as his form was too massive for even the room's projectors to take in.

"Since the three Ascended Mans were sent to the cemetery I draw an additional three cards, raising my hand size to nine cards." He drew three cards again, giving him a very impressive hand. Sumatin still refused to even blink, despite the moves he was pulling.

"Since I cannot attack during the first turn I will set three cards face down, and end my turn." He lowered his hands, awaiting his opposite's move. The crowd waited tensely, not sure what even their champion could do against the strength of a god card. And he still held six cards.

"You are strong, I can see that. But it seems that despite the differences in dimensions and our different playing styles we are as one. Two sides, one coin. One dark, one light, neither evil, but neither truly good." From the crowd's point of view it would have made sense for a gust of wind to sweep by them at any moment, even while underground.

"Now, it is my turn, and in order to defeat you I too must unleash my full strength from the first turn. Activate magic card, Cast From Heaven! This sends three dark angels from my deck to the grave in order to inflict fifteen hundred damage to my opponent's life points." Sumatin picked out three monsters from his deck and slid them into the graveyard.

Just like Dalin before him, Sumatin's cemetery sent out six orbs. However, each of these orbs were dark as night. Three hit Dalin in the chest, while the other hit Sumatin's duel disk. "Just like you I sent Fallen Man(1300/400) to the grave three times. Now I draw three cards from the bottom of my deck while dealing you fifteen hundred damage." (DLP: 4000)

Dalin narrowed his eyes as his opponent held up one of the three drawn cards, and then flipped it around. Just as Dalin had suspected, it was revealed to be a very familiar card. "Renewal of Triplets revives my three monsters. Now...I sacrifice all three of them!"

He slammed the card down onto his duel disk and black beams of light gathered together as something large built up in front of him. At the same time he drew three more cards from the bottom of his deck, pumping his hand up to nine cards. "At a cost of these three monsters I summon Wicked God Dread-Root(4000/4000)!"

Soon his monster completed its summoning, pushing at the bounds of the projectors just like Dalin's card. At an identical size and basic structure Dread-Root looked like a god version of Summoned Skull, with a skeletal helmet and armor over its head, giving it a truly fearsome appearance. "Wicked God...impressive."

"Dread-Root is aptly named. Now his special ability activates. Fear Domination!" Dread-Root roared, shaking the entire room. Dalin and Obelisk barely seemed to notice it, but despite their calm it was obvious that they were slightly affected. Dalin frowned as energy seeped from his god.

"Dread-Root reduces the attack of all other monsters in play by half, making Obelisk into a much weaker monster of two thousand attack points. Now, Wicked God Dread-Root, attack Obelisk with Dread Fist!" Black energy engulfed the dark god's fist as it threw it at the opposing god of light. However, Dalin was ready for this.

"Reveal quick-play magic card, Light Shield! This will successfully protect Obelisk and myself for this turn." A glowing shield of light blocked the path of the energy covered fist. Dread-Root snarled at being thwarted and drew its arm back.

"So be it. I set three cards face down, and then conclude my turn." Just like Dalin he had finished his turn with a mighty god in play, along with three set cards and a full hand of six cards. Both duelists had made nearly identical plays.

Dalin frowned, glancing at his set cards and then at his opponent's. He had no way of knowing if they were similar to his. Simply because their first turns were so similar did not mean that they had identical but opposite hands. _'I'll have to play cautiously. The first step is to eliminate Dread-Root.'_

"I draw...and now I will summon" He stopped at the sound of a sharp intake of breath. Glancing back over his shoulder, Dalin discovered who had done it. Standing in the doorway was none other than the girl he had faced previously, Alice.

"Two Sumatin-senpais...I think I'm in heaven!" Both duelists rolled their eyes. The blonde girl looked back and forth between the two, and then up at the two behemoths that stood on their fields.

"Amazing! Wicked God Dread-Root against Obelisk the Tormentor! What a match-up! Oooo...I can't believe I get to see this duel, no matter the reason there are two of them!" She clutched her hands to her chest and jumped from foot to foot, grinning maniacally.

Dalin shook his head and turned back to his opposite, finally completing the motion he had started before interrupted. "As I was saying. I summon Pluto, Angel of Weakening(1500/0) in attack mode."

Sumatin pointed at the angel, who was dwarfed by the other two monsters in play. "Special ability, Fear Domination!" The angel cowered in terror, its attack points falling to an unimpressive seven hundred and fifty.

"Now, since it is my turn the effect of Dread-Root wears off since even it cannot affect Obelisk for more than a single turn." Obelisk clenched its fists together, roaring at Dread-Root. The dark god roared back, and only the will of their masters kept them from attacking.

"Pluto's attack power will return to normal as soon as I eliminate Dread-Root. Obelisk, attack it with God Hand Crusher!" Sumatin frowned as the blue god sent its burning fist directly at the opposing dark god. At the moment he couldn't afford to lose Dread-Root.

"Reveal quick-play magic card, Dark Wall of Air! Just like your Light Shield this card will prevent my creature from being attacked this turn." Pitch black winds surged around Dread-Root, slowly the motion of Obelisk's giant hammer of a fist.

"Your magic card is worthless upon activation of my counter trap, Magic Jammer! In order to negate your card I must discard one card as the cost of Magic Jammer. I discard Repayment of Losses, letting me draw one card." He slid the named card into the grave, then drew another.

The winds began to die down, and Obelisk's fist started to push through, coming closer and closer to Dread-Root. Sumatin narrowed his eyes, and then pointed to one of his set cards. Immediately it flipped up. "Trap Jammer can only activates during the battle phase. It instantly negates one trap card you play, including your counter trap Magic Jammer!"

Purple smoke flowed out of the card and began to cover Dalin's still face-up trap card, making it shudder. Cracks lined its form, and the energy of the winds picked up again, once more slowing the descent of Obelisk's fist. "I anticipated such a move. Reveal final set card, counter trap Angel's Mandate!"

His trap revealed itself, and then Pluto shook for a moment before exploding into pixels. Then bright white light shot out and began to push back the purple fog, once more causing the winds to recede. "At a cost of one angel on my field the counter trap Angel's Mandate may negate the activation of any type of card. Therefor Magic Jammer will succeed, and Dark Wall of Air will fail."

Sumatin chuckled and snapped two fingers together. His final set card also flipped up, and he slid one of the six cards he was holding into the graveyard. "I also had guessed such a play would be made. Therefore I placed this counter trap, Dark Angel's Mandate. It costs one Dark Angel from my hand to activate, and it will negate Angel's Mandate!"

Alice stared in awe as the dark energy flowed from Sumatin's trap and slammed into the light of Dalin's trap. "Amazing! The chain resolves in reverse order, so Dark Angel's Mandate negates Angel's Mandate, allowing Trap Jammer to activate, negating Magic Jammer and then letting Dark Wall of Air succeed!"

The dark winds sprang up in full force, completly halting Obelisk's attack. The god withdrew its fist, and Dread-Root snarled at the retreating god. Dalin smiled slightly despite having been foiled. "You're certainly an impressive duelist, but I knew that from the very beginning."

"You are also quite impressive. Now, complete your turn." Dalin nodded and slid his drawn card onto his duel disk, allowing it to appear in front of him.

Sumatin snapped a card off his duel disk, and then pointed to Obelisk. "Let Dread-Root end this clash of gods. Attack with Dread Fist!"

Dalin shook his head and then raised his right arm, which was instantly covered by a shield. He raised the shield, and an energy barrier sprang up in front of Obelisk, catching the fist before it made it any farther. "Draining Shield negates your attack and gives me your monster's attack as life points!" (DLP: 8000)

"About what I anticipated. Now, I set one magic or trap card face down. That is the end of my turn." The crowd winced, seeing their champion so far behind in life points simply because he walked into what seemed to be an obvious trap.

The blonde haired duelist glanced down at the six cards he was now holding, and then at his opponent's field. Dread-Root was strong, but there was no way it could stand up to the burning power of Obelisk's effect. _'One strike from Soul Max is all I need to complete this duel.'_

He had the monsters needed for it, now all he needed was to summon them and keep them on the field. "I set one monster in defense mode. Since Dread-Root's effect is like a field card's my set monster retains its attack and defense points."

One brown backed card appeared beside Obelisk. The god eyed it almost hungrily, obviously prepare to take it as an offering as soon as it could. "To conclude my turn I set one magic or trap card face down."

As soon as he was done his brown haired opposite drew, fanning out his six card hand. "Prepare to say farewell to your god. Activate Dark Flame Burst! This magic card destroys one magic or trap card on your field and that card cannot be chained!"

He extended his hand and a burst of black fire shot out of it, spearing into Dalin's single face down card. The angel duelist frowned as his only defense was blown away by the fire. "Next I summon Dark Angel Toraisu(1500/1500) in attack mode."

A handsome angel with dark wings appeared, cowering in the shadow of Dread-Root. Dalin motioned to Dread-Root in amusement. "Dread-Root affects your monster as well, making it a weakling just as it made Pluto a weakling."

"Ah yes, but that won't matter in a moment. Reveal trap card, Fall From Heaven! Although I cannot destroy Obelisk with traps, this card will let me temporarily remove him from the game!" Obelisk started to roar in protest, but before the roar was complete the giant god vanished.

Dalin frowned, witnessing his almost completely empty field. All he had now was his single set monster, and that was a Holy Shine Sphere(500/500). "In addition to removing Obelisk you also take half the removed monster's attack as damage, while I gain half of its attack as life points." (DLP: 6000, SLP: 6000)

"Now, Toraisu will attack and destroy your set monster, opening your field up for an attack." The dark angel pointed one finger at the set monster, and sent a jet of black flame at it. The spherical monster appeared briefly and then was melted down by the attack.

"Prepare to suffer the pain of this type of duel. Wicked God Dread-Root...attack directly with Dread Fist!" Dalin slid his feet back, bracing himself for the oncoming massive fist covered in dark energy. The freight train punch slammed right into him, hurling him backwards a dozen feet and into the steel wall.

The wall dented inwards, making Dalin barely visible from within. Alice yelped, terrified at the damage done by the assault. She wasn't sure who to cheer for though, since both of them were as far as she could tell the same person. _'Oh I don't know what to think!'_

Dalin pulled himself out of the hole and then dropped back to the ground, landing in a crouch. His body was visibly wracked by the blow, bloody and bruised, but yet he held his ground. "Dread-Root is powerful, but so am I. I'm not done yet." (DLP: 2000)

"Of course you aren't. Now, I set one card face down. Turn end." His card materialized behind Toraisu, potentially protecting it. Dread-Root most likely wouldn't need it though considering its dreadful power.

The angel duelist snapped a card off his deck, and a silver glint shimmered in his eyes. Sumatin frowned, having barely noticed it. He had however sensed a sudden surge of power from his other self. "Now, Obelisk returns!"

The god reappeared, instantly completing its roar. Sumatin however was not impressed. "Since it is newly on the field again Dread-Root's effect reduces its attack power to a mere two thousand, so it's hardly a threat."

"The only threat to Dread-Root is me. Activate Heavenly Circuit! In order to play this card I must discard one card from my hand...and then I may set one magic or trap card from my grave onto the field, which may be played this turn." A card shimmered onto his field, ready to be played as soon as Dalin chose to use it.

Sumatin eyed the card askance, unsure what to think. "You intend to defend with Draining Shield again? Or perhaps you are preparing to negate one of my cards with Angel's Mandate."

"You are forgetting Sumatin...you destroyed one of my cards last turn. Now it is revealed, the trap card known as Rise to Heaven! Just like your trap a monster in play is removed from the game!" Dread-Root blinked out of existence, surprising even Sumatin.

"Now I gain its attack points as life points, restoring all damage done to me by Dread-Root's attack. In addition to that since Dread-Root is no longer in play all monsters regain their attack points." Obelisk and Toraisu were restored to their formal glory even as Dalin regained lost energies. (DLP: 6000)

Alice silently cheered this move on, despite the fact that she knew that whoever one, it wouldn't matter. She was equally obsessed with each one, so it didn't matter at all. _'Whoever loses, I still win! Sumatin-senpa, or Dalin-senpai...either way, one of them will be mine!'_

"Obelisk attacks Toraisu!" Obelisk attacked with his devastating punch, and the dark angel stumbled backwards, aware that its end was at hand.

Sumatin snapped his fingers and his trap flipped up. "Dark Flame Shield lets me sacrifice one dark angel to negate an attack and deal you half its attack power as damage. That should be enough."

The dark angel exploded into flames, causing Obelisk's fist to miss its target and slam harmlessly into the ground, shaking the room. Then the flames shot at Dalin, covering him briefly. "Now the lead is once more mine." (DLP: 5250)

The blonde haired duelist glanced at the three remaining cards in his hand, and then at his opponent's field which consisted of absolutely nothing. His own consisted of merely Obelisk the Tormentor. _'At the start of his turn Dread-Root will return, and Obelisk's attack with fall by half. I have to prepare myself for that.'_

Knowing generally what to expect the man who was practically a dueling savant took his cards and placed them on the field. "I'll set three cards face down. Now, the flow of the duel returns to you my opposite."

Sumatin slowly added a newly drawn card to his hand, and then looked up as a shadow descended from the ceiling. Slowly that shadow took shape, becoming the massive and demonic form of Wicked God-Dread Root. "Dread-Root is now once again on the field, and his effect will reduce Obelisks's attack by half."

The other god's power fell just as indicated, leaving it easy prey for Dread-Root's soon to come attack. "Destroying Obelisk would be useful, but not the end all be all. I can safely assume that if you posses Obelisk you must also possess the other two gods, therefor even Dread-Root does not guarantee victory. So I will have to finish you off in this turn."

Each duelist narrowed his eyes at the other, and then Sumatin reached for one of his cards and slammed it into his duel disk. "Activate magic card, Devil's Instant Kill Technique! Now when Dread-Root destroys Obelisk you will take Obelisk's attack as damage to your life points."

Alice frowned, doing the math. Dread-Root currently was twice as strong as Obelisk, so killing the god would drop Dalin-senpai's life points to thirty two thousand and fifty. Then the effect of Devil's Instant Kill Technique would activated, dealing four thousand damage and reducing Dalin-senpai's life points to zero. Her conclusion: "This is bad."

"Wicked God Dread-Root, finish this duel in one mighty blow. Attack now with Dread Fist!" The god pulled back his hand and plunged it forwards, bringing it down upon Obelisk. The blow was stopped moments before reaching the other god's face as Obelisk caught the attack with its own fist.

Sumatin's eyes widened in surprise, uncertain how a monster of half his creature's strength was fighting back. "Time is of the essence Sumatin, and you delayed too long. My trap card Pyro Clock of Destiny advanced time by one turn, and therefor Obelisk was able to return to his normal strength."

"Such a thing is unimportant, you will still take four thousand damage and lose Obelisk!" He was also confident because of one of the cards in his hand. Moments before Dread-Fist was destroyed he would activate it, and that would grant him victory.

"You misunderstand, I was prepared to finish off both of our monsters this turn, and since I knew I would be losing such a powerful monster I wanted to make the most of it. So now I activate my placed quick-play magic card: Soul's Last Breath!" Light burned around Obelisk and two gods grappled with each other, pushing back with their hands grasped together.

"I see...your magic card will grant you Obelisk's attack power as life points when he's destroyed in battle. So both monsters will be destroyed and nothing will be accomplished." The two gods butted heads, and cracks lined their bodies. They stumbled backwards and began to shatter, turning to dust.

Sumatin wasn't ready to lose his wicked god so easily though, not without causing damage. "I had every intent of finishing you off this turn, no matter what. So now, just before Dread-Fist can fully go to the cemetery I'll activate my quick-play magic card Sacrifice! This lets me tribute one monster on my field for the effect of a ritual magic card in my deck!"

The energy of Dread-Root started to flow backwards, pulled towards Sumatin's field. A card ejected from his deck and he quickly tossed it into his duel disk, kicking in its effect. But Dalin wasn't far behind him with the use of his final set card.

"I activate my remaining face down card, my own Sacrifice! And now, using its effect I offer Obelisk in his last moments for my ritual magic card!" As one the two duelists activated their ritual cards, and urns appeared on their fields, drawing in the two gods' energies.

Sumatin pointed to his field where the urn sat and spoke up. "Activate ritual magic card: Dark Justice Unleashed!"

At the same moment Dalin declared his own card. "Activate ritual magic card: Justice Unleashed!"

Appearing from within the urns were now two identical woman. The first one, the one on Sumatin's field, was beautiful with raven black hair and black wings, but her eyes were covered by a dark blindfold. "Reveal Sol, Angel of Dark Justice(1900/1900)!"

On the opposite side, standing in front of Dalin, was a beautiful angelic woman with white blonde hair, pure white wings, and a white blindfold over her eyes. "Come forth Sol, Angel of Justice(1900/1900)!"

Alice and the entire audience stared at the two duelists and their monsters in awe. Once again they had both made nearly identical moves, and they were once more evenly matched. "So, it is to be a contest of one monster's dark half against another's. Sol, Angel of Dark Justice will win. Now, I discard one dark main-type monster from my hand to increase her attack and defense by five hundred."

Dark energy surged around Sumatin's Sol, boosting her attack and defense to a more impressive twenty-four hundred. Yet it wasn't attack ability that made Sol a level seven ritual monster with a meager nineteen hundred attack and defense. It was her effects that made her so useful. "My turn is completed. Go ahead, match my move and boost your Sol's attack points. But I can guarantee that mine will succeed."

Dalin slid a card off the top of his deck and then looked up at his other self. "No Sumatin, no guarantees can be made in this duel. But I am tired of you being merely my reflection, or me being yours. Dimensional duplicates or not, I will not be anyone's opposite. I am Dalin Imaki Sumatin, and I am myself, not anyone else. It's time to change the flow of this duel once and for all!"

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_Next Chapter:Overcoming Self_

Author's Notes: Yowza! Dalin and Sumatin have both defeated each other's first gods, but they still have plenty of power waiting in the wings. Dalin is determined to prove himself separate from his other dimensional self, but can he? Which Dalin is stronger? Find out next time!

_Review Responses_

WolfGeneral: I've always liked to think that Dalin doesn't top deck, because there is generally no situation beyond his control. At least so far.

Time Mage: Two things here. The other Dalin isn't really his dark side, he's just different. Also, the Dark Angels as far as I'm concerned are the equivalent or rebelling angels, ones that oppose god but have yet to be banished from heaven. Like Lucifer pre-fall.

G.O.T. Nick: Ah yes, Cameron Diaz. Personally I think she's overrated, but she rocks as Princess Fiona. However, that was ruined by Charlie's Angels 2, so I will speak no more of this.

John: New tactics? Rex's entire strategy, even this updated version, was all about beatdown. Weevil actually uses tactics, and this one isn't underhanded at all. He didn't cheat. But we are each entitled to our own opinions.

The White Mage: Ouch, I take it you don't like Weevil and Rex.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Dalin: Descent From Heaven, Ascended Man, Renewal of Triplets, Light Shield, Pluto the Angel of Weakening, Angel's Mandate, Heavenly Circuit, Rise to Heaven, Soul's Last Breath, Sacrifice, Justice Unleashed, Sol the Angel of Justice

Sumatin: Cast From Heaven, Fallen Man, Renewal of Triplets, Dark Angel's Mandate, Dark Flame Burst, Dark Angel Toraisu, Fall From Heaven, Dark Flame Shield, Devil's Instant Kill Technique, Sacrifice, Dark Justice Unleashed, Sol the Angel of Dark Justice

**Anime/Manga Cards**

Sumatin: Wicked God Dread-Root(Yu-Gi-Oh! R version of a now real card), Dark Wall of Air


	26. Overcoming Self

Author's Notes: Now for the mighty conclusion to this clash of titans! Also, I apologize for the delay on this chapter. At first it was just because I had difficulty with it, but then I spent a few days hanging out with friends because a good friend of mine is moving to Idaho soon. So now without further delay, here is the chapter.

_**Chapter Twenty-Five: Overcoming Self**_

_Sumatin pointed to his field where the urn sat and spoke up. "Activate ritual magic card: Dark Justice Unleashed!" _

_At the same moment Dalin declared his own card. "Activate ritual magic card: Justice Unleashed!" _

_Appearing from within the urns were now two identical woman. The first one, the one on Sumatin's field, was beautiful with raven black hair and black wings, but her eyes were covered by a dark blindfold. "Reveal Sol, Angel of Dark Justice(1900/1900)!"_

_On the opposite side, standing in front of Dalin, was a beautiful angelic woman with white blonde hair, pure white wings, and a white blindfold over her eyes. "Come forth Sol, Angel of Justice(1900/1900)!"_

_Alice and the entire audience stared at the two duelists and their monsters in awe. Once again they had both made nearly identical moves, and they were once more evenly matched. "So, it is to be a contest of one monster's dark half against another's. Sol, Angel of Dark Justice will win. Now, I discard one dark main-type monster from my hand to increase her attack and defense by five hundred."_

_Dark energy surged around Sumatin's Sol, boosting her attack and defense to a more impressive twenty-four hundred. Yet it wasn't attack ability that made Sol a level seven ritual monster with a meager nineteen hundred attack and defense. It was her effects that made her so useful. "My turn is completed. Go ahead, match my move and boost your Sol's attack points. But I can guarantee that mine will succeed."_

_Dalin slid a card off the top of his deck and then looked up at his other self. "No Sumatin, no guarantees can be made in this duel. But I am tired of you being merely my reflection, or me being yours. Dimensional duplicates or not, I will not be anyone's opposite. I am Dalin Imaki Sumatin, and I am myself, not anyone else. It's time to change the flow of this duel once and for all!"_

He barely glanced at his newly drawn card before he shoved it into his graveyard. Energy flowed from Sol into him, granting him one of its three effects. "By discarding a light type from my hand I can now draw three cards."

A cursory glance at the new cards gave him a plan to work from. "I continue my turn by summoning Seraphim Guardna(1000/2000) in defense mode."

The angel crouched down, hiding itself behind a metallic shield. Light pulsed between it and Sol as its effect kicked in. "For every other angel I have in play Guardna gains three hundred attack and defense points."

He placed a card face down and then nodded to Sumatin, who gladly drew a card. "I discard one dark type monster from my hand in order to deal you one thousand life points damage. Use your power Sol!"

Black flames swirled out of the dark angel's hands, slamming into Dalin's body. He raised his arms to block some of the flames, but still they reached him. "Very well, you have used Sol's effect. Anything else?" (DLP: 4250)

"Of course there is. My Sol will attack yours, destroying it!" The dark angel flew at high speeds across the field and decked her light opposite in the jaw. The light angel was hurled backwards, and shattered against the wall. (DLP: 3750)

Sumatin frowned at seeing his opponent's monster destroyed so easily. He took a look at Dalin's face down card, idly wondering what it was that it was so useless as to not protect Sol. "Very well, if you cannot protect your monsters than I shall simply end my turn."

Dalin slipped a new card off the top of his deck. Then he took the other card he had been holding and slid it into an activation slot. "Activate magic card: Angel Reborn!"

Light surged into one point on his field, and Sol returned in all her glory, her wings spread out wide. Sumatin sneered at the monster's appearance. "You were already holding that card...so you didn't care if Sol was destroyed in that instance. But then...what is your plan?"

"You'll learn shortly. First I discard the last card in my hand, an Ascending Man, in order to draw three cards from my deck according to Sol's effect." He dropped the card into the graveyard and then picked up three cards at once from the top of his deck. Now he had three cards total to work with.

He looked over the cards and then tossed one of them down onto the plate of his duel disk. "I summon Seraphim Sabre(1600/1500) in attack mode."

A monster similar to Guardna only with heavenly armor and a sword now stood to Sol's right side. "Just like Guardna this monster gains three hundred points for every other angel in play. Now Seraphim Sabre(2200/2100) and Seraphim Guardna(1600/2600) are even stronger."

Sumatin's eyes widened at the sight of the three angels and he shot a look at Dalin's face down card. It was at that moment that he knew without a shadow of a doubt what the face down card was. "I've been led in..."

"That's correct! By destroying Sol in your turn you have given me the opportunity to unleash the rage of angels upon you. Open set card, Angel's Wrath! Now during this turn all angels on my field may attack you directly!" Energy whipped around the three monsters as they prepared to attack.

"Seraphim Sabre, Sol, and Seraphim Guardna...attack directly! Triple Holy Wave!" Three separate waves of pure light slammed into Sumatin. The dark angel duelist was picked up by the strengths of those blasts and flung into the plexiglass, cracking it in numerous places. He fell back to the ground, his body bruised and beaten. (SLP: 300)

"Now the advantage is mine. I place two cards face down, and that will conclude my turn." Two cards appeared behind his three angels, giving him a significant advantage of the field. The only thing that wasn't going for him was the fact that his opponent's monster was still the strongest in play.

Sumatin grimaced and motioned to his deck, which ejected a card. "I've given up my battle phase to add a dark angel to my hand. And now I discard it in order to draw three cards from the bottom of my deck."

Three cards popped out from the very depths of his deck, giving him more to work with. He frowned at what he saw and at the two cards that Dalin had face down. There was no telling what they were. "I equip your Sol with Ekibyo Drakmord! In two turns it will be destroyed, returning this virus to my hand. Until then your monster is worthless."

The beautiful female angel staggered and her skin began to grow blotchy as the virus did its work. "To end my turn I shall set two cards face down, just as you had."

The crowd watched in a sort of state of awe, seeing that their champion was in such dire straits. Now it was Dalin's turn, and he was already tossing the drawn card into his discard pile. "By discarding Neptune, Angel of Emancipation(1700/0) I may draw an additional three cards."

He did so, and then pointed to his rightmost face down card. "Renewal of Power lets me activate one monster's effect again this turn, so I discard Venus, Angel of Creation(1600/0) to draw three cards again."

Once more he drew, this time bringing his hand size up to five cards. He smiled slightly at whatever he saw there, finally having gotten exactly what he wanted. "Prepare to lose your cards. I activate my set trap, Heavenly Array of Light. By discarding another light type from my hand, this time Uranus, Angel of Good Will(1800/0) I can destroy one of your cards."

The champion of Underworld of Dueling frowned as his leftmost set card was shattered by a burst of light, leaving him with just one face down card to defend him. "It is unimportant, my Sol is still the strongest monster in play."

"Strength? Your dark angel knows nothing of strength, so I will teach it about strength. I offer up all three of my monsters in order to summon the mightiest of the three gods. The Winged Divine Dragon of Ra(5700/6600)!" The three angels turned to swirls of light, combining together to create a giant golden sphere.

Dalin raised his arms up to the sphere and began to chant. Sumatin watched quietly as he went through the required prayer to unlock Ra's power. Alice and the rest of the audience could only stare in awe, none of them having ever seen this mighty god in action. "Appear to me as I call your name, Winged Divine Dragon of Ra!"

The sphere was now unlocked, revealing the giant golden dragon, its beaked mouth clacking together in eagerness of unleashing its attack. "So, the strongest of the gods has come to face me. Well, I am prepared to defeat it!"

"I sincerely doubt such a thing is true. Let us test your theory. Ra, attack with God Breath Cannon!" The god opened its beak wide and sprayed golden energy down towards Sol. The dark angel seemed to feel the attacking coming, despite her blindness.

"Sol will fall...but not without protecting me! Reveal trap card, Dark Faith Offering! By sacrificing one dark angel on my field I can special summon dark angels from my grave equal to half the offered monster's level rounded up." Sol turned to dark fire and split apart into four separate plums of flame.

The four plums of flame were revealed as three men in monk's robes and with black wings, and a handsome fellow with dark eyes and wings. "I have special summon all three Fallen Men(1300/400) and Dark Angel Banafor(1700/1200) in defense. And since Banafor was summoned you take five hundred damage!"

Banafor threw a sphere of black flame at Dalin, catching him in the stomach. He grunted and slid backwards slightly, but he was otherwise unharmed. "Your move was effective, but I will still eliminate one of these monsters. Obliterate Banafor!" (DLP: 3250)

Sumatin was pushed backwards by the spray of divine energy that seared apart his dark angel. But since it was in defense mode his life points were protected and maintained at a solid three hundred. "I am safe."

"For the moment you are. One card face down, and then my turn is ended." A card appeared behind Ra. Sumatin could only assume it was there for some reason besides protection, because Ra hardly needed it.

Realizing that drawing a dark angel with Rebel's Gathering would be pointless, Sumatin simply drew a card normally. He frowned at the card and then snapped his fingers, causing his face up magic card to crumble. "By sacrificing Rebel's Gathering I can draw two cards from the bottom of my deck."

He slid two more cards from the bottom of his deck, feeling energy flow from one of the cards into him. Dalin narrowed his eyes, also feeling the energy. _'What power is this that I feel?'_

"I have drawn it...the ultimate force to combat even your monster. A dark god only capable of being summoned when the opponent has a god in play. Now, I sacrifice all three Fallen Men in order to unleash its might! I call you out, Devil's Avatar(?)!" The three dark angelic monks vanished and were replaced by a massive black sphere.

"Devil's Avatar can only be summoned when the opponent has a god card in play. Devil's Avatar may then be special summoned to the field and it assumes the form and all effects of the god you hold. Since I have offered my three monsters and it has Ra's effect, that means Devil's Avatar(3900/1200) gains their stats as its own." The sphere uncurled, revealing a pitch black version of Ra.

"A dark version of Ra...that's truly impressive. However, even if they are equal in effects they are not equal in attack or defense strength. Your monster is significantly weaker than my Ra and you lack the life points to increase your Devil's Avatar attack strength." Sumatin nodded, accepting this as the truth.

"This is quite true...but since I the Fallen Men went to the grave I now draw the bottom three cards of my deck, giving me new options." He pulled another three cards out from the bottom and then slipped them into his hand.

He looked at them, and then slid two cards into his disk at once. "First I activate Pitch-Black Inferno Bonds, which locks down your set card, keeping it from reach."

Dalin didn't even blink when his face down card was covered in black fire, keeping him from activating it. "Next I activate Monster Reborn, reviving Wicked God Dread-Root(4000/4000) to the field!"

The massive dark god roared as it now stood next to the dark Ra. "Unfortunately Wicked God Dread-Root is only a tier 2, therefor its effect is useless against either of our monsters since both are tier 3 gods. However...I sacrifice it to Devil's Avatar!"

The god turned to black energy and was pulled into the maw of Devil's Avatar. The dark Ra shrieked as its power surged, resting at seventy-nine hundred attack points and fifty-two hundred defense. "Prepare to have Ra fall! Dark God Breath Cannon!"

Dalin grimaced, but even the phoenix form of Ra couldn't protect against the attack of a monster with identical abilities as it. The dark wave of energy crashed into Ra and blew it apart. When the smoke cleared Dalin was on his knees, his body scorched by the assault. "Impressive attack." (DLP: 1050)

"You have no idea how impressive Devil's Avatar can be. It cannot be defeated by a god since it can manipulate the powers of any god you have. For now I set two cards face down. Next turn I will eliminate you once and for all." Now he had a massively powerful dark god and two cards to work with it, while all Dalin had was one out of reach card and two cards in hand.

The angel duelist snapped up a card and pointed at his opposite, declaring his intentions with his deep voice as clear as snow. "Even an anti-god such as Devil's Avatar cannot defeat me!"

"I doubt that very much. You see, now that Ra has been defeated and Devil's Avatar has its effects there is nothing in your deck that can defeat me. Even your remaining god will not touch me, that I will guarantee." As if to emphasize his point the mighty Devil's Avatar shrieked, shaking the room.

Dalin shook his head almost as if in disgust. "It seems you have been clouded by visions of power supplied by the darkness that fuels you. True power comes from the soul, not from what you take in battle with others. It will be the power of my soul that defeats you and Devil's Avatar."

Alice stared at Dalin with wide-eyes, almost unable to speak. All she could do was watch him with awe. Finally she broke the spell and spoke. "He's right...this is the sort of strength that I can admire. Not a man who is blinded by greed for power. So I'm going to throw all of my support behind this Dalin Imaki Sumatin, and he will defeat you!"

Sumatin frowned at Alice, but then refocused his attention on Dalin who seemed to be making a move. "Thank you Alice for your support. Now, watch as I begin the path to defeating Devil's Avatar and my opposite by setting one monster in defense mode and concluding my turn."

The dark angel duelist chuckled darkly, his eyes never leaving his opposite. "Such a foolish notion that you are entertaining. Allow me to prove the true nature of power to you as I activate Shadow Energy. This card will substitute as the cost for the effect of one magic or trap card."

Dalin raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly what his opponent planned to do with that single costless card. "It's time to eliminate the last potential threat to me. Despite the irony involved I activate Mandate of a Heavenly Voice. This requires I name a level eight or higher monster. I name Saint Dragon Osiris."

He held the card out and it began to glow, as did Dalin's deck. "Now if that card exists in your deck I may pay one thousand life points to add it to my hand. Since I played Shadow Energy I may now take Osiris at no cost."

A beam of light burst forth from Dalin's deck and landed in his opponent's hand. Sumatin smirked so slightly that it was barely noticeable, and he held up Saint Dragon Osiris(X000/X000) from his hand. "Now the final threat against me is in my hand, and you cannot use it against me."

"Such a cowardly motion, running from my god before it ever has the chance to be summoned. But I suppose that is the sort of method one would resort to when obsessed with power. And for one so consumed by it...I have a gamble of power for you." Sumatin narrowed his eyes at this declaration.

"Very well, what is your gamble?" Dalin simply held up three fingers, and then pointed to the card that Sumatin was holding.

"The winner of this duel...they get the other's gods. If I should win I take your three dark gods, but if you win you get my three gods. Is it a deal?" Sumatin's eyes lit up, just as Dalin had expected. He nodded, accepting the deal.

"With such a deal I will become the strongest duelist in any existence. All I have to do is crush you, and I'll start by activating my set trap card, Body Supplement!" His left face down card flipped up, and energy began to coil off of it.

"By sacrificing this trap card I can offer it as life point cost for any effect of any amount. All that is required is that I take half that amount in damage at the end of my turn. However, since there is no limit I have nothing to fear. All I shall do is sacrifice it..." The trap card shattered.

"Now I substitute it to Devil's Avatar's effect taken from Ra. By offering life points I can increase its attack, so I offer up infinite life points to increase its attack power infinitely! Now Devil's Avatar(Infinite/5200) is unstoppable!" The dark god's body surged with power, so much so that the room seemed to vibrate.

"Power, that is all you care about in the end. Yet I thought at the start of this duel that you were something more. When the truth is that all you are is a perversion of myself, a perversion living in another dimension. So I will defeat you!" Sumatin grimaced in irritation and thrust his hand out at his opponent.

"You'll have to survive first. Devil's Avatar, destroy his face down monster with Dark God Breath Cannon Infinity!" Black energy surged from the dark god's open beak, slamming into the ground and breaking it apart. Dalin's monster was vaporized, and he was once again tossed away like a rag doll.

"You are nothing to me...now finish your turn!" Sumatin glared at his other self who so boldly opposed him.

"Very well, I conclude my turn by activating my final set card, Life Shield! This protects my life points from any one source of damage. So the infinite life point damage I would have taken is now negated. The perfect combo for the perfect attacker." He folded his arms across his massive chest, content in his approaching victory.

Dalin stood back on his feet, smiling as he did so. "Greed for power and the prevention of another gaining power is the sort of thing that will lead to your downfall. In reality I anticipated you taking Osiris for your greedy purposes, but I'm not bothered."

He finally looked at his drawn card, and then slid it onto his duel disk face down. "Now that I've set that card, I'll activate Payment of Rebirth, which lets me pick up one monster from the grave and add it to my hand. In return you may draw a card."

Sumatin drew a card off the top of his deck while Dalin picked up a monster from his cemetery. Then Dalin snapped his other hand card around. "Activate Exchange! Now we take one card from each other's hands. However, since I only hold one card you must take it."

The two duelists walked towards each other. Sumatin snapped the card out of Dalin's hand, while Dalin casually picked up the card that Sumatin was holding. Then the two duelists walked back to their places and looked at the cards. Sumatin blinked in surprise. "Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)? Not that I mind...but why?"

"You'll soon learn that sometimes the way to become stronger is to lend your power to others. Before I can teach you that lesson I must activate the card I took from you, Pot of Greed!" According to its effect he drew two new cards.

"Next I activate Monster Reincarnation, discarding my Repayment of Losses in order to pick up another monster from my grave." He picked up a monster from the cemetery and then drew one card by the effect of Repayment of Losses.

Sumatin frowned, still confused by what his opponent was attempting. "What is it that you are trying to accomplish by all of this? It seems so pointless."

"Pointless? Not at all. You see, an ultimate combo is nearly coming to fruition, now I just need one more card. I'll take it by activating Card of Sanctity!" Both duelists immediately drew until they were holding six cards.

"Next I activate Magic Shard Excavation, discarding two cards from my hand in order to select one magic card from my grave and add it to my hand. I choose Exchange." He slid three cards into his grave and then picked up and showed Sumatin his Exchange magic card.

Everyone was watching him, still not sure what he was up to. Even his opponent Sumatin couldn't understand what Dalin was trying to accomplish. "This combo...what next?"

"I set one card face down, then I activate Exchange. I hold Winged Divine Dragon of Ra(?) And Holy Shine Sphere(500/500)." He walked forwards, extending the two cards to his opponent.

Sumatin frowned and held out his six card hand. "I hold Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000), Saint Dragon Osiris(X000/X000), Dark Angel Viz(2400/1500), Wings of Inferno, Shower of Darkness, and Dark Draining Shield."

Dalin reached out and picked out one of his opponent's cards and added it to his hand. "I choose Wings of Inferno to add to my hand."

"That card can only be equipped to a dark angel...why would you choose it? This whole combo seems like nonsense, but since your Holy Shine Sphere is useless I choose to add Ra to my hand." Dalin nodded as his opponent took his last god and placed it in his hand. Then they parted.

Dalin turned on his heel, facing Sumatin once again. "Wings of Inferno...it isn't important. The purpose was to lend you my power, because when you do so at some point in time that power will be returned ten fold. By granting you my greatest power...I can increase my own."

Sumatin's eyes widened as he realized at last what his opponent intended. Placing the three gods in his hand...he intended to summon them! "You wanted them in my hand so you could summon them!"

"Correct. The winds are blowing, and they call to your monsters. Now I reveal one of my face down cards, Winds of Justice! First I must select one monster on the field!" He leveled his finger at Devil's Avatar, which shrieked at him upon seeing itself be selected.

"Now all monsters in our hands of an equal level are summoned to the opponent's field. Devil's Avatar is a level ten, so each of us gains the level tens that the opponent holds. I have no level ten monsters, so you gain nothing." Sumatin grimaced as the three gods flew out of his hand and landed on Dalin's disk.

"But since the three gods are each level ten...you gain all three." Dalin nodded, raising his arms in greeting as the three mighty gods formed on his field, filling up the entire arena with their massive bulk.

"Even should you try you cannot defeat Devil's Avatar! It has infinite attack power and there is no strength beyond infinite!" Dalin shook his head, still looking determined as ever.

"Once before I have called upon the ultimate power in order to defeat an avatar of utter darkness. Devil's Avatar qualifies, so once more I will unleash its strength. I reveal one of my face down cards, Polymerization!" The three gods began to be pulled together as everyone watched.

Sumatin backed up as a towering holy looking creature of light stood in front of Dalin. It snapped its eyes open, and Sumatin felt the raging power within it. "This is Creator of Light; Horakti(Instant Win)."

"I see...then you are truly the ultimate duelist if even I cannot defeat you. Come now Duel King...end it." Dalin nodded and thrust his hand out, palm outstretched.

"Horakti, finish him off with Light of Purification!" Light showered down on Sumatin, consuming the field with its great energy. The people behind Sumatin in the plexiglass booths ran as the glass shattered and the walls bent in under that great power.

When the light cleared Sumatin was lying on the ground, his eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. He was out like a light, defeated by the power of the ultimate monster. "You were truly a challenge...but if necessary I am even capable overcoming myself."

He bent down and picked out three cards from his opponent's disk and deck and then slipped them into his pockets. Finally he turned around to Alice and motioned to her. "Come Alice, let's go. I have a feeling that this is almost over."

Together they walked out of the room, and into the Inner Sanctum. What they witness was a duel that was already raging towards its conclusion, one that had started the moment the first duelists entered the Inner Sanctum.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Next Chapter:The Dimension Gate; Pt. 1_

Author's Notes: Dalin has finally defeated his alternate version self. But he's about to walk in to see some of final battle that has been raging since the moment Asriel and Davis entered the Inner Sanctum. But before we can reach Dalin's entrance we have to go back and witness the duel in each of its stages. Let's begin the final battle!

_Review Responses_

John: The answer is no. You're thinking along the lines of time travel, where two people who are the same person but from different times meet and cause a cataclysm. These two people look alike, sound alike and all that, but they are distinctly different people. As previously stated this is a different dimension and there's pretty much versions of each person in each dimension. The consequences of having two people from different dimensions who are so alike meet will soon be revealed.

G.O.T. Nick: Yep, their tactics changed utterly the moment Dalin chose to use Sol differently. And since Sol is the monster closest to his soul, that made all the difference.

WolfGeneral: As you can see you guessed right. This dimension's Dalin did indeed hold Devil's Avatar.

Time Mage: You guessed wrong. Instead he had The Devil's Avatar to counter them.

Wing Omega: When you reach this chapter your review is answered. If you look at the bottom of each chapter you'll see which cards are of my creation (or someone elses) and which are from the anime or manga, anything else is real. Play of Rebellion was a card used by Atem in his duel against Yugi at the end of Yugioh.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Sumatin: Rebel's Gathering, Dark Faith Offering, Fallen Man, Dark Angel Banafor, Pitch-Black Inferno Bonds, Shadow Energy, Body Supplement, Life Shield

Dalin: Angel Reborn, Angel's Wrath, Renewal of Power, Neptune the Angel of Emancipation, Uranus the Angel of Good Will, Heavenly Array of Light, Payment for Rebirth, Repayment of Losses, Winds of Justice, Creator of Light Horakti

**Anime/Manga Cards**

Dalin: Seraphim Guardna, Seraphim Sabre

Sumatin: The Devil's Avatar, Wicked God Dread-Root, Mandate of a Heavenly Voice


	27. The Dimension Gate Pt 1

Author's Notes:

_**Chapter Twenty-Six: The Dimension Gate; Pt. 1**_

Davis and Asriel looked each other in the eye for just a moment before walking through the door. The steel door slid shut behind them, leaving them in pitch black. "Great...and now we can't see."

"Ah, no need to be so upset...after all, the fun is just getting started." Suddenly lights burst on all around them, bathing them in a heavy glow. The husband and wife duo flung up their arms to block out the sudden deluge of light that was close to blinding them.

"Welcome to the Inner Sanctum. It is a place that few have come before, and even fewer have left from. It is my one and only sanctuary, the place I feel closest to. Nowhere else in this world is even close to feeling like home...not like this is." As their eyes grew adjusted to the light they were able to take in exactly where it was that they were.

They were standing at the entrance to a massive circular room that seemed composed entirely out of black metal. It was similar to the previous room, only there was no plexiglass for spectators and nobody was in the room but them. But that wasn't the key point of the room.

Sitting in the center of the room on a large platform was a three dimensional pentagonal device of some sort. Its body was formed of what looked like living metal, with runes flowing all about it, never staying in the same spot for more than a mere moment. Flickering at the center was what looked like a head-sized portal. "It's...a gateway?"

"You guessed right Davis. This is in fact a Dimension Gate, and soon to be a very powerful one at that. Normally I wouldn't need one that's powerful, but for this little job I do need this amount of power. And it's taken me nearly twenty years to create it." The clomping of boots pulled Davis and Asriel's attention to the left.

Stepping out from behind the Dimension Gate was a tall figure of at least six feet. His features were mostly obscured by the brown ragged cloak that was wrapped around him. It barely covered his leather clad legs and booted feet. Peeking out from the top was a head of blonde hair, blue eyes, and a handsome face. Davis was aghast at the sight. "I...I know you!"

"You would Davis. Your wife on the other hand runs knights far too much to be able to recognize me. But a person like you? Now that doesn't surprise me at all." The blonde man snickered, stalking forwards until he stood between them and the nearly complete gateway.

Asriel turned to her husband and asked the obvious question. "How do you know this guy? Did you meet him before you met me and we just never saw him?"

Davis shook his head, still dumbstruck by this man's appearance. Finally he figured out exactly how to say it and plucked his deck from the duel tray, and then flicked through it until he found a card. He held it out to her, and she instantly gasped. "But...how?"

"I don't know...but somehow he's identical to this card. Survivor of the Different Dimension(1800/200). The story behind this card is that he was a warrior who traveled the dimensions for many years, unable to return home, but surviving the perils of dimensional travel for many years until he could one day reach home." As usual Asriel was impressed by her husband's knowledge of back stories created by Pegasus for cards.

The man laughed again and let the cloak fall away from his head, revealing a pale but handsome face. The tattered cloak hung around his shoulders, now revealing his leather clad body. "It's more than a story. Pegasus created the entire Dimension set after he met me, and that story...it's true. Because I am that warrior."

Asriel and Davis both backed up slightly, still not sure exactly how to take this new information. "But how is this possible?"

The dimensional warrior smirked and folded his arms across his chest. "Two thousand years ago I was a powerful warrior who defeated every opponent in my path. I challenged the government of my planet and threw it down beneath my feet. I became the sole ruler, unchallengeable...or so I thought. But then wizards gathered together and used their magic to hurl me into a different dimension."

He grimaced as he spoke, obviously dredging up bad memories. "For many years I struggled in that place between dimensions, fighting off strange creatures. But when I befriended a dragon that could travel the dimensions I was able to live long enough to meet the one who had become the lord of the at place, and he a master of dimensional traveler taught me how. So I began seeking my home dimension to return and gain revenge."

He sighed, shrugging his shoulders in a sort of irritated fashion. "Unfortunately they had sealed the gateway behind me, making travel to that dimension from outside impossible. So I've traveled the dimensions, trying to find a way back for all these years. And in this dimension I found the way, and now with this new magic I've picked up I'll complete my Dimension Gate and rip open the gateway between this dimension and mine."

"Oh. Well that's not really a big deal. So that's why you needed so much energy? If you needed it just to get home, why not ask people for energy instead of having it forcefully taken from them?" The immediate answer to Davis' question was plain laughter.

"Fool. You can't just tear through the dimensions like its nothing. You should know that just like with the dimension set of cards it requires precision to work properly. By ripping a hole in the dimensions I will destroy this world on my path home, and the rip will also obliterate my world. That's my revenge, crushing my entire dimension in the fabric of the different dimension!" He threw back his head and started laughing, and just as he did the gate behind him flickered.

He smirked as he looked back at it. "Perfect, it looks like more energy is being supplied. You see, the duels you engaged in were also supplying energy. The support itself is complete, now the last pieces of energy are needed to open it. And while my warriors face the others that have followed after you I shall crush you and them should they come...in a duel."

Davis and Asriel glanced at each other and nodded. As one they raised their duel disks and slid their decks into position. "We're in! It's time to duel!" (DLP: 500, ALP: 500)

The two duelists stared at their life points in horror, but before they could voice their complaints their opponent spoke up. "Since I will likely be facing several others of this group that is coming I feel it only fair to have it a gauntlet, where the duelists progressively have more life points, and hands start off just as the previous duelist had. As for me, well, I'll start with twenty-thousand life points."

Both of them grimaced, but knew there was no way of getting out of this. They had little choice but to duel or to let him just destroy both dimensions in an act of revenge. Asriel sneered as she drew her first five cards. "We'll kick your ass survivor, no matter how strong you were in your original dimension."

"You can't call me survivor. But you may call me Wayfinder, the name I was granted by the Lord of the Different Dimension. I left my old name behind long ago. Now, I shall begin this duel!" He raised his left arm and a silver and black duel disk materialized on his arm. Instantly he drew six cards. (WLP: 20000)

Wayfinder looked over his hand, and then slid three cards onto it. "I'll set two magic or trap cards face down. Then I set one monster on the field and end my turn. Best to start conservatively."

Asriel frowned even as she drew a card. He was talking about being conservative when they were the ones with five hundred life points while he had twenty thousand. "We'll show you that life points don't matter, we'll beat you anyways! I start with Command Knight(1200/1900)!"

An attractive female knight with a winged helmet shimmered out from her card, raising her blade. "This beautiful lady inspires all warriors on the battlefield, giving them a bonus of four hundred attack points. She gains it herself. Now, to defend her I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

Davis drew, and then looked over at Asriel, giving a determined look towards her knight. Understanding his meaning she simply nodded her head. "Go ahead Davis, take it away."

"Alright, since my wife says it's alright I'll sacrifice Command Knight to summon Dark Magician Girl(2000/1700)!" The blonde spellcaster jumped out onto the field and did a little spin, posing for them at the end of it.

Wayfinder watched Dark Magician Girl calmly, not impressed by her performance. "Your cocky now, but wait till you taste her wrath. Dark Magician Girl, Dark Magic Burning!" Streams of pink energy slammed into Wayfinder's set card over and over again, until at last a red haired man in leather armor emerged.

"You know my story and yet you attacked my monster anyways? Face the wrath of Dimensional Warrior(1200/800)'s effect! Now both monsters are removed from play!" Davis grimaced as the red-headed warrior tackled his blonde spellcaster, pulling her into the gateway behind Wayfinder.

Davis started to pick the card off his disk and reach for his pocket, but Wayfinder halted him before he got too far. "No need to be so hasty. My trap card Dimension Port is itself removed from the game, and then it sends all removed from play cards to my removed from play pile."

Dark Magician Girl was pulled out of Davis' hand and caught out of the air by Wayfinder. The dimension traveler snapped his fingers, making the card disappear. "Are you done making a fool of yourself?"

Davis grimaced, but he had little more that he could do. A cursory glance of the rest of his cards made him certain of the one move he could make. "I set two cards on my field. Your turn Wayfinder."

Wayfinder smirked at whatever he saw and then motioned to the sensor in front of his duel disk, designed to cause a card to eject from the cemetery. All that happened was his graveyard whined. "As you can see I have no cards in my grave. Perfect to play Dimension Distortion, summoning Dark Magician Girl(2000/1700) to my field!"

Davis gasped as his former monster appeared on his opponent's field, holding her staff up. She looked upset at having to be turned against Davis like this. "I can tell you care about your monsters, which makes it more amusing to kill you with them. Let's finish you off first. Dark Burning Attack!"

Asriel threw a desperate glance at her husband, but the look in his eyes said that he had the situation taken care of. "You won't get off on taking my monster like that so easily. Reveal Magister School, producing two Magister Tokens(500/500)!"

Two red-robed mages appeared, only for one of them to immediately be blown away by the spellcaster's attack. Davis slid a card off his deck according to the effect of his token. "When it leaves the field a Magister Token lets me draw a card."

"What a wonderful thing for you. End." Wayfinder gave an overly fake yawn and then lowered his hands to his sides, awaiting Asriel's move.

The blonde woman immediately threw her new card down onto her duel disk. "Gearfried the Iron Knight(1800/1600) come on out and give them a show!"

The iron armored warrior jumped out onto the field and slashed his bladed forearm rapidly through the air, creating a miniature cyclone. Davis applauded lightly, but Wayfinder just yawned slightly again. "If he's not good enough how about I upgrade him with this: Release Restraint! Now meet his ultimate form, Gearfried the Swordmaster(2600/2000)!"

Gearfried's armor shattered, revealing a buff warrior beneath. He had wild long black hair and was nearly nude, he also held a sword in one hand. "With this boost in strength I've got the power needed to defeat Dark Magician Girl. So, slay her!"

Wayfinder snorted in amusement and pointed to his face down card, which immediately shot a beam of light at Gearfried. The unarmored warrior stumbled backwards, but was unharmed. He attempted to run forwards, but he vanished before he made it two steps. "What was that?"

"That was my D.D. Ring, which removes one attacking monster from the game. And now your precious monster is in my removed from play pile, and out of reach from you. Isn't that cool?" Asriel scowled, but quickly realized that she had no more moves to make. Her turn was over.

Davis looked down at his two newly drawn cards, one from the Magister Token and another for the start of his turn. They were decent...and if he worked things right then they might also do the deed for them. "Asriel, I'll need your help soon. Can you do what I need?"

"Whatever it is, I'll back you up just like always. So, show him your power!" Davis nodded, encouraged by his wife's confidence in him.

"I'll do exactly that! Get ready to see my full power. Activate magic card, Stray Lambs!" Both Wayfinder and Asriel face-faulted as the two fuzzy colorful goats appeared on his field, floating harmlessly around with their lack of attack and defense points.

Wayfinder jerked back up and burst out laughing, while Asriel just glared at her husband. "If you talk about an ultimate move and showing your true power don't dissapoint me! How in the world are those little goats your true power?"

"Have a little faith okay? I'm working on that plan, that's why I need you to back me up. Speaking of which, back to that plan. The next step requires me to set this one card from my hand onto my field...and that's all for the preparations stage." Both Wayfinder and Asriel eyed him askance, but there was no point in questioning it.

Wayfinder frowned at his opponents, but seeing little else he could do than frown he chose merely to start his turn. He looked down at his drawn card and then placed it on the field of his duel disk. "This beast is a deadly one in the different dimension. Meet D.D. Crazy Beast(1400/1400)!"

A red skinned googly eyed beast roared as it hit the field, snarling at everything in its path. Dark Magician Girl plugged up her nose to block out the smell. "He's offensive, but effective since he removes any monster he destroys from the game. Speaking of which, he and Dark Magician Girl will destroy those little Stray Lambs(0/0)!"

The two monsters attacked, one lunging at a goat while the other blasted at the second one with magic. Davis threw a look over at Asriel, nodding once to show her what he meant. "Looks like it's my turn to step in. Reveal face down card, Negate Attack!"

The magic attack fizzled out, and D.D. Crazy Beast halted its run, then returned to where it had previously stood. Wayfinder grimaced at seeing his attempt at halting their progress go downhill. "Fine, I don't care. Take your turn little girl."

Asriel nodded and slipped a card off her deck. She tossed it down and a white and blue armored warrior emerged, holding a deadly looking sword in front of him. "Here's Blade Knight(1600/1000). He can't take Dark Magician Girl...yet, but he can take out D.D. Crazy Beast. But before I attack I have one thing to do."

Grinning she slid the last three cards onto her duel disk, each one materializing behind Blade Knight. "Since I have so few cards in my hand, in other words none, my Blade Knight gains four hundred attack points. So he'll do the job and finish off D.D. Crazy Beast!"

Blade Knight raised his sword, his attack points raising to two thousand, and then he leapt forwards. There was no worry about the attack since Wayfinder had no face down cards. Blade Knight slashed D.D. Crazy Beast in half, and then it was gone. "Oh no, I lost six hundred life points. Such a horror." (WLP: 19400)

Wayfinder snickered at the meager amount of damage that had been dealt to him. But Asriel still seemed satisfied by her actions. "All I have to do is my part. Now I guess it's time to see what Davis had intended when he played Stray Lambs."

Davis nodded and flicked a card off his deck. Then he pointed at a Wayfinder and smirked. "There's only one reason why a person would play Stray Lambs in place of Scapegoat, and that is the difference in them. Scapegoats cannot be sacrificed while Stray Lambs can!"

He slammed a card onto his duel disk, causing the two little sleeping goats to fade away. Suddenly they were replaced by a tall man in purple magician's robes with his arms crossed over his chest. "The master has arrived! Dark Magician(2500/2100) in attack mode!"

Wayfinder took a step back, looking at his single monster, the Dark Magician Girl who had five hundred less attack points. In addition he didn't have any magic or trap cards on his field. "Although it pains me to do this, I've got to. Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician Girl blew apart, leaving Wayfinder's field completely empty. He grimaced and tossed the Dark Magician Girl to Davis who caught it and slid it into his graveyard. "Fine, you've done your damage and cleared your field. Now are you done?" (WLP: 18900)

"Didn't I say I was going to use my true power? Well let me show you what my true power can do. Go face down card, Dedication through Light and Dark! This lets me sacrifice Dark Magician to special summon Dark Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)!" The purple robed magician was instantly replaced by a leather clad and blue-skinned magician.

"Since my magic card was quick-play it's still the battle phase. In addition this monster's effect lets me pick up one magic card from my grave. Now, I attack you directly!" Wayfinder grimaced as his back was slammed into the gateway by the spellcaster's attack. (WLP: 16100)

Wayfinder reached for his duel disk, but Davis snapped his hand out so it rested just above his final face down card. "Go trap card, Call of the Haunted! This lets me revive one monster from my grave in attack mode, so Dark Magician returns! And since it's still the battle phase my Dark Magician also goes direct!"

The dimensional being was forced even harder against the gateway, his cloak tearing apart even more, further revealing his leather armor. He groaned and slammed his hand into the blast, knocking it aside. "You're stronger than I gave you credit for, but it doesn't matter." (WLP: 13600)

Davis shrugged and slid one card onto his duel disk. A magic card appeared in front of him, depicting a fancy ankh. "Monster Reborn you should recognize. It revives my Dark Magician Girl(2000/1700). But that was my main phase two, so I'll set one card and end."

Wayfinder drew. Then he paused as he looked over his four cards. Finally he burst out laughing. "It's been fun, but now it's over! Step one to your destruction, the magic card Storm of the Different Dimension! This removes all magic and trap cards in play from the game!"

A warp appeared above them, pulling all of their combined total four set cards into it. In addition Davis' Call of the Haunted went to the grave, and since it was gone his Dark Magician had to go to the cemetery. "Dimension Port puts all your removed cards in my pile."

Both duelists tossed them their cards, not feeling quite as confident as they had previously. Although the chances of Wayfinder summoning something able to beat even Dark Magician Girl in this turn was slim. Davis was still slightly bothered. _'My Magister School is gone now, and I could use the extra cards. But I had too many monsters on the field when it was removed to be able to chain it.'_

Davis and Asriel looked at each other, and then returned to watching Wayfinder. Wayfinder snapped up another card from his hand, but halted when two people walked in through the door. One had red hair and the other had golden blonde hair. "Ah, Daniel Pilkington and Ryu Zaytel. Impressive that you defeat opponents intended to counter your fusion strategies."

Daniel and Ryu exchanged looks with the two duelists currently playing. Davis just shrugged and offered an explanation. "Hey Daniel. He's an evil interdimensional warrior trying to get home by taking people's energies and ripping apart the dimensions which will destroy our dimension and his home dimension as an act of revenge. We're dueling him in a gauntlet match, so if we lose you'll take our places with our fields and our hands, and you start with low life points."

The two newcomer duelists blinked, but shrugged at this explanation. Daniel offered his own point of view. "Yeah, but you two are good enough to defeat this guy. A handful of direct attacks will end him."

Wayfinder cleared his throat, and then pointed to his duel disk, indicating that he had over thirteen thousand life points. Daniel just grimaced, realizing that it wouldn't be as easy as anticipated. "Now, back to the duel. Next I play Dimensional Lightning, discarding one card from my hand to remove all of your face up monsters from play!"

Golden lightning arced across the field, slamming into each of their monsters. The three monsters cried out and then vanished as if they were nothing. "Of course Dimension Port gives me your monsters."

They tossed him the three cards, leaving their fields completely empty. But although they were worried it didn't seem like it would be too big a problem since he had no field and just one card in his hand. "Think you're safe with just five hundred life points? Don't be so sure! Activate Monster Returned!"

Both Asriel and Davis paled as the leather-clad magician known as Dark Magician of Chaos descended to the field, twirling his staff in his hands. "Since Monster Returned special summoned him from out of play I now pick up one magic card from my grave. So Monster Returned activates again, giving me Dark Magician Girl(2300/1700)!"

The attractive female spellcaster lowered onto the field, standing next to Dark Magician of Chaos. She looked sad at once again having to face off against her former master. "Since you've got nothing in play and so few life points I'll end you now. Double direct attack!"

Twin blasts of magic slammed into the two duelists, hurling them backwards. Ryu darted forwards and caught them both using his demonic speed. Light flowed from their bodies, making them turn very pale. That energy flowed into the gateway, making the portal in the center grow larger. "Their energy has aided me. Now, you two may step forwards and duel!"

Ryu and Daniel frowned, and then Ryu set the two other duelists against the far wall, where they watched with lidded eyes, weak but not unconscious. "We'll take it from here. And I will begin." (DLP: 0, ALP: 0)

Ryu drew, but because he was replacing Asriel and she hadn't had any cards in her hand he was automatically topdecking. "Let's see just how much I have to work with."

He looked at his drawn card, then slid it onto his duel disk. Then he held up his disk in order to check the life point counter. He grimaced slightly, but knew that he couldn't do anything about it. "That's all? So be it." (RLP: 1000)

He nodded to Daniel, who instantly drew a card, giving him a grand total of four cards in his hand. Three of them were from Davis' deck, but one was from his. He just had to make sure he could make good use of them. "You use dimensional cards is that right?" (DLP: 1000)

"That's right. I, Wayfinder, am the person who had the dimensional set of cards created by Pegasus. Therefor I am their master, and none can defeat me when I use them." Daniel smirked as he looked over his hand of four cards, obviously not impressed.

"You the master? I've faced the real Dimension Duelist before, and believe me, you're nothing compared to him. And in a few short turns I guess we'll prove that to you. But for now I just set these two cards on the field." A monster and a magic or trap card appeared face down, protecting him.

"That's all." With that little move his turn was now over, and it was up to Wayfinder to make a move. But he too was top decking, and there was no telling just how good he was at it.

Wayfinder snarled as he snapped up a card. He glared at Daniel and held it up, sending a burst of wind at Ryu's set, which vanished. It popped out of his duel disk and into Wayfinder's hands where it disappeared. "Dimension Cyclone removes one magic or trap card on the field from the game. But it also gives you five hundred life points." (RLP: 1500)

He motioned to his two monsters, who were now readying themselves for a single strike. "You think to challenge my mastery over the different dimension? No Dimension Duelist is my better, and I'll prove it by crushing you here and now! First though, Dark Magician Girl attacks Ryu and finishes him off!"

The Dark Magician Girl raised her staff and pointed it at the dragon demon. He held steady despite his completely empty field, ready to face the attack. "Dark Burning Attack!"

Streamers of pink light burst out of the end of the magician girl's staff, heading directly towards Ryu. If it struck then his life points would be reduced to nothing...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Next Chapter:The Dimension Gate; Pt. 2_

Author's Notes: This took longer than expected because of stuff, but now here it is. And just a handful of chapters remain before the end of this story. So look out, because now Daniel and Ryu step up to the plate in order to defeat Wayfinder and his dimension strategy!

_Review Responses_

Time Mage: Ascended Man has a superior effect. Its effect activates no matter how it goes to the grave while Ascending Man's only works when it is destroyed in battle. There's a reason behind Horakti's difference, it's the summoning method. Also there was no Banafor vs Sol because the match-up would have been pointless.

WolfGeneral: Yep, go Horakti.

John: Poor brain.

G.O.T. Nick: We didn't get to see the final Dark God because it hasn't been revealed yet in Yu-Gi-Oh R, that's all. Once again, the Inner Sanctum is this thing.

The White Mage: When summoned by In His Name the Horakti cannot have its attack halted in any manner whatsoever, so it's an unstoppable Instant Win attack that costs all but one of your life points. The fusion method is the same monster, but it can have its attack stopped and doesn't cost lp to attack. Quite simple, just Dalin never explained it when he used In His Name because he was almost dead at the time.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Wayfinder: Dimension Port, D.D. Ring(WG), Storm of the Different Dimension, Dimension Lightning, Monster Returned(WG), Dimension Cyclone(WG)

Davis: Magister School

**Anime/Manga Cards**


	28. The Dimension Gate Pt 2

Author's Notes: Now for part two of the final duel.

_**Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Dimension Gate; Pt. 2**_

_Wayfinder snarled as he snapped up a card. He glared at Daniel and held it up, sending a burst of wind at Ryu's set, which vanished. It popped out of his duel disk and into Wayfinder's hands where it disappeared. "Dimension Cyclone removes one magic or trap card on the field from the game. But it also gives you five hundred life points." (RLP: 1500)_

_He motioned to his two monsters, who were now readying themselves for a single strike. "You think to challenge my mastery over the different dimension? No Dimension Duelist is my better, and I'll prove it by crushing you here and now! First though, Dark Magician Girl attacks Ryu and finishes him off!"_

_The Dark Magician Girl raised her staff and pointed it at the dragon demon. He held steady despite his completely empty field, ready to face the attack. "Dark Burning Attack!"_

_Streamers of pink light burst out of the end of the magician girl's staff, heading directly towards Ryu. If it struck then his life points would be reduced to nothing..._

"Reverse card open! Waboku!" Daniel's face down card flipped up, and three robed priests appeared and lifted their hands, halting the attack before it could connect. Now the battle damage had been completely reduced to zero.

Ryu gave Daniel a look of thanks, and the former half demon merely shrugged it off, knowing that had their situations been reversed Ryu would have aided him. Wayfinder just growled in irritation. "I'll end, but first I'd like to take a look at what I removed."

Wayfinder held up the card he had removed from Ryu's field and glanced at it. He growled in irritation at what he saw. "I removed a bluff? Dragon's Gathering? What worthless dribble!"

The dragon demon snapped up a card off his deck, and then looked over at Daniel. "May I use your monster?"

"Go right ahead." Daniel flashed his partner a thumbs up. Ryu nodded and slapped his card down onto his duel disk as Daniel's set monster vanished. In its place on Ryu's field was a massive burning dragon.

"Infernus the Pyro Dragon(2200/2000) is summoned. However it isn't strong enough to defeat any of your monsters, so for the moment my turn is ended." He gave Daniel a significant look and then jerked his thumb backwards, pointing at the room they had come from.

Wayfinder eyed the two duelists, wondering exactly what sort of exchange they were coming up with. But since he couldn't figure it out he'd have to wait. Either way it seemed that Daniel had it all figured out. "Okay Wayfinder, let's see what my draw gives me!"

He flipped the card up and over and then grabbed the other two cards in his hand. "Here's something that should help. Tiny Pound Hammer lets me shuffle it and any number of cards from my hand into my deck. Then I can draw and equal number. So let's get a brand new hand."

Daniel slid all three cards into his deck and shuffled it thoroughly. Once he was done shuffling he drew three cards. Finally he glanced over at Davis and smiled weakly. "Don't worry buddy, I'll get your cards back to you once the duel is over."

After a quick look over his cards he glanced over at Ryu and grinned. "You know, when I dueled one of your people he defeated me, beating even my true strength. For him the Elemental Heroes weren't enough. But dueling with Ryu they are the perfect weapon. The flunkies we defeated learned why...and so will you!"

He slammed one card onto his duel disk, and suddenly a female warrior in a red and gray outfit appeared, going into a fighter's stance. "She might not appear powerful, but Elemental Hero Burst Lady(1200/800) packs a punch. And she'll pack even more of a punch in just a moment..."

Instantly Daniel flipped up one of the two remaining cards in his hand. It was revealed as a magic card with the image of two monsters swirling together into some kind of nexus. As one Daniel and Ryu began to speak. "Polymerization fuses together Elemental Hero Burst Lady with Infernus the Pyro Dragon in order to form..."

A warp appeared and the two creatures were pulled in. When the warp vanished a ten foot tall version of Burst Lady now stood on the field, her clothes wreathed in flames and giant burning wings extending out of her back. "Elemental Dragonic Hero Pyro Lady(2600/1900)!"

Pyro Lady struck a pose, her fists at the ready, glaring at the other two monsters. Dark Magician Girl made an 'eep' sound and went to hide behind Dark Magician of Chaos, who simply stared across at Pyro Lady without fear. "Best get out of the way, because here comes Pyro Lady. Attack with Pyro Atomic Punch!"

The female super hero charged in, her wings propelling her at amazing speeds. She darted behind the leather-clad magician and slammed her burning fist into Dark Magician Girl's jaw. The female spellcaster screamed as she was engulfed in fire, burned away. "Sorry girl, but that's a knockout." (WLP: 13300)

Wayfinder didn't really seem bothered by the monster loss and minor loss of life points. "Are you impressed with yourself? You did a meager three hundred damage to my life points and left a monster in attack mode that can't defeat my Dark Magician of Chaos. You really are stupid aren't you?"

"Stupid? Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Guess you'll just have to figure that out for yourself." He smirked and rubbed his thumb beneath his nose. At the same time he casually slipped the remaining card from his hand onto his duel disk, finishing his turn.

The dimensional warrior frowned as he eyed Daniel's face down card, the only thing keeping him from launching an assault to destroy Pyro Lady. But as he looked at it, he came to a conclusion. "Elemental Hero decks are essentially weak, their strength relies on fusion and only the best duelists or the luckiest can use them well. But while their fusions can be devastating when used right, they aren't very strong in the area of basic monsters, magic cards, or traps."

"What an amazing deduction. But while Elemental Hero Decks might not on average run impressive traps, that doesn't mean this one isn't a powerful trap. Just because standard traps for Elemental Hero decks aren't deadly doesn't mean a player can't substitute them with deadlier traps. So how can you be sure of your attack? The answer is that you can't!" Daniel grinned at Wayfinder, causing the blonde man to scowl even more.

"Bah! Screw it, I don't even care anymore. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Pyro Lady and destroy her! Show up his bluff!" The magician nodded and jumped forwards, swinging his staff down. Pyro Lady held up her arms to block, but seemed to know that she was outclassed.

"It wasn't a bluff Wayfinder, but it wasn't some uber-trap either! Open reversed card, Hero Barrier! This negates one attack as long as I have a monster with 'hero' in their name in play." A shining barrier emerged in front of Pyro Lady, forcing the magician back to his spot and canceling his attack.

"So you saved your monster for one turn. It doesn't matter, in the end I'll crush you both and you should know that. I set one card face down, and that will be all." A card emerged in front of him and behind his magician. But despite its presence his two opponents weren't worried. They had bigger things to worry about.

As a former general Ryu knew strategy inside and out. He also knew that resources were invaluable in any battle, whether it was a duel or in war. At the moment he was utterly lacking in resources, which put him in a bad position. He needed resources. "Draw."

He held up the card and after taking one look at it he flashed it to Wayfinder and then discarded it. "Pot of Greed's effect activates. I don't think I need to explain it to you." He smirked and drew twice, giving him what he needed. Resources.

He looked over the two cards, frowning slightly. Although he now had cards to work with, he had been hoping for something better. "Now that I have new cards, I'll summon Shine the Light Dragon(0/0) in defense mode."

Wayfinder raised in eyebrow, looking close to laughing at the sight of the weak dragon. But Ryu wasn't finished yet. "Now I activate the field magic card Fusion Gate. With this in play all of us can remove monsters from the game in place of a Polymerization card in order to fuse monsters. That is the sum of my turn."

Daniel picked up his top card and then instantly slapped it down. "While it may not have seemed like much, Ryu's turn was the perfect catalyst for me to make my move. I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman(1600/1400)!"

A futuristic looking warrior wearing blue and gold appeared, a fancy helmet covering his face. This was the strongest base attacker amongst the elemental heroes, which wasn't that much. "Like I said, Ryu's turn helped me out. Because now I remove Sparkman and Shine from the game by using Fusion Gate."

The two monsters merged together, and from it emerged a taller version of Sparkman with pure gold armor and a shining aura. "Ladies and gentlemen, or just gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Elemental Dragonic Hero Solar Man(1900/1200)! This monster raises the attack of all warriors and dragons on the field by three hundred!"

Wayfinder grimaced, realizing that now Pyro Lady had one hundred more attack points than his magician. In addition his set card wouldn't save him from the attack. "I hope you're ready Wayfinder, because the pain starts now. Pyro Lady, finish off Dark Magician of Chaos in one blow!"

The dimensional duelist grimaced as a fiery punch annihilated his only monster. And according to its effect it was removed from the game. "So you've defeated Davis' strongest monster by forming more useless fusions. That doesn't mean you can win, I'll still finish you both off before my life points hit zero." (WLP: 13200)

"Maybe so, but we'll still give you one hell of a headache in the meantime. Solar Man, go direct and make him feel the power of the light!" Solar Man pointed one hand at Wayfinder, his fingers shaped out like a gun. Then he pulled his imaginary trigger, sending a bolt of light crashing into the warrior. (WLP: 11000)

However, instead of being annoyed by the damage he had taken, Wayfinder seemed amused. "In the end you fell into my trap. Reveal Damage Condenser! I can now summon one monster from my deck with an attack equal to the damage I've taken in this turn or less than that. So here's Dimensional Knight(2200/1500)!"

"Your monster isn't strong enough to defeat either of my monsters, and you're still top decking. How do you expect that to help you?" Wayfinder shrugged and slid the top card of his deck up and then flipped it around.

"I guess this is what I'll do. D.D. Greed lets me draw four cards, so long as I remove two of them from the game. The other two go into my hand." He snapped four cards up and then after some quick calculations he chose two, adding them to his hand. The other two faded into nothingness.

He moved to continue his turn, but halted when someone walked into the room. He had long black hair in something of a samurai-eske topknot, and wore an upperclassman Obelisk Blue uniform. "Kai Kaethen, welcome to the party. Here, let me fill you in."

Roughly one minute later Kai was fully informed, and he relaxed against the wall to await his turn, if it should come. "I'm trusting you two, whoever you are, to knock this guy down a notch before I have to face him. It's only fair."

Daniel grinned and flashed Kai a thumbs up. "Sure thing kid, shouldn't be a problem."

Wayfinder cleared his throat, pulling their attention back to him. "If you don't mind, I believe it's my turn. And I'll start by playing Dimensional Hammer! This magic card removes the strongest monster in play from the game, even if it's mine. But it's not."

Daniel grimaced as a massive blue and black hammer slammed down on his Pyro Lady. She screamed briefly, and then when the hammer pulled back up she was completely gone. "Now I play D.D. Fortitude, which boosts all monsters with dimension or d.d in their title by three hundred points."

He smirked as Dimensional Knight clenched his gauntleted fists, surging with his energy boost that raised him to an attack power equal to even the Dark Magician. "With this power boost he'll take down Solar Man, and his effect will remove the top three cards from your deck. Attack!"

The knight slashed Solar Man in half with one stroke of his sword. Daniel slid the fusion monster into his cemetery, and then tossed three cards from his deck to Wayfinder because of Dimension Port. "How perfect. Bubbleman, Friendog, and Mirror Force. What a great catch!"

Daniel hid his disappointment well, but Bubbleman would have been the perfect card to top deck. Not only would he have gotten to special summon it because it would have been the only card in his hand, but since his field was clear he would have drawn two cards, getting Friendog and Mirror Force. _'Crap...'_

Since Wayfinder had no more cards, it was obvious that his turn was over. This left Ryu to once again top deck, and see what he could get. He looked down at his card and then over at Daniel, trying to decide something. _'I know several of the Elemental Dragonic Heroes, but not all. There is one I know that we can easily create and can help right now...so I know what to do.'_

Ryu slid the card into his duel disk, and a magic card appeared on his field. It showed Dark Paladin with Buster Blader and Dark Magician standing behind him with energy surging between them. "This magic card is called Fusion Cycle, and it lets each player choose one monster capable of being in a fusion and add that monster to their hand."

He snapped through his deck like lightning, knowing that he had to make the first choice. However, Wayfinder found his card first, not that it mattered. But after a quick search Ryu found his monster. "I choose Haze the Smoke Dragon(0/0). Now I hope my partner chooses a useful monster that can fuse with something."

Daniel's eyes widened in understanding and he found the card that Ryu was making implications about. Sometimes Ryu surprised him, figuring out something like that so quickly. "I've got my monster, so Ryu can continue his turn."

"Very well, I summon Haze in attack mode, and that ends my turn." The dragon appeared, its wings spread out, awaiting its chance to attack. But since it had no attack power and no effect it seemed ludicrous to have summoned it in attack, especially since it couldn't be used as a bluff with no set cards in play.

"What an idiotic move, but then again you two seem to make a career out of successful but stupid moves. So let's see what idiotic move you two have planned out this time to combat me with." He folded his arms across his leather covered chest, waiting as Daniel drew.

Daniel glanced at his newly drawn card, but knew that it wasn't the important one. It was the card he had chosen with the effect of Fusion Cycle. "Haze the Smoke Dragon is a weak monster, but he can fuse with a lot of creatures. But darkness is best with darkness, so let's bring out the dark power of the heroes. Elemental Hero Necro Darkman(1600/1800) fuses with Haze using Fusion Gate!"

A towering man that looked extremely demonic in red and black with spiked shoulder pads now stood on Daniel's field, with black dragon wings folded behind him. "This is Elemental Dragonic Hero Necro Haze Man(2000/1500). Once per turn he can revive one hero from the grave, so here comes Solar Man(1900/1200)!"

The other dragonic hero returned, flexing his arms as his power boosted them both. "But that's not all. From my hand I'll fuse Elemental Hero Featherman(1000/1000) with Solar Man in order to create Elemental Dragonic Hero Solar Wind Man(2500/1800)!"

The monster was nearly identical to Solar Man, only giant feathery wings extended up and out of his back, flapping silently. "Although he lacks the bonus effect of Solar Man and his effect isn't useful in this situation...he can still take your monster head to head. So, Solar Wind Man attacks Dimensional Knight!"

The two monsters collided with each other in mid-air, the knight slamming his blade into the hero, while the hero head butted the knight. Almost instantly both monsters exploded into pixels, the results of two equally strong monsters attacking one another. "Now, Necro Hazeman attacks you directly!"

Purple fog swam from the monster's hands, hitting Wayfinder in the chest. He coughed violently, trying to get the poisonous fog out of his lungs, but he was only partially successful. "You two are pretty impressive when you work together. These Elemental Dragonic Heroes are a force to be reckoned with." (WLP: 9000)

The two duelists smirked smugly, happy that they could do some damage. Now Wayfinder had lost more than half his original life points. In a normal duel he would have lost nearly three times by now. "Yes, they're powerful...so thanks for that. Snatch Steal!"

Daniel and Ryu gasped in surprise, and Kai grimaced as he watched from the wall. Necro Hazeman was grabbed by a giant brown bag and then deposited on Wayfinder's field, leaving them completely open to attack. "In addition I'll summon the monster I took with Fusion Cycle. D.D. Warrior Lady(1500/1600). Guess that means I've beaten you doesn't it? Double direct attack!"

Poisonous fog struck Ryu in the chest with a laser sword was slashed across Daniel's shoulder. Both duelists stumbled backwards, feeling their energy sapping out. Before their very eyes the portal grew even larger with the contribution of their energies. "You know, in a fair duel I bet any of you could beat me. Good thing I'm not playing fair isn't it?" (RLP: 0, DLP: 0)

Ryu and Daniel stumbled back and propped themselves against the far wall. Kai looked over at them and frowned, realizing that he was going to have to replace them, which meant top decking against an opponent with much more life points and the field advantage. "I'll do what I can, don't worry." (KLP: 1500)

He stepped up into the position that Daniel had been standing in and slid a card off his deck. "Since I've taken over for him I gain the bonus of Snatch Steal, fortifying my life points by one thousand." (KLP: 2500)

One look at his drawn card had him frowning, but he had nothing else to work with. He had to do his best. "I set one card face down. End."

Wayfinder smirked, not even bothering to look at his drawn card. "You really don't have a thing you can do against me, you know that right? So it's pointless to bother, however...I'll finish you anyways to take your energy. D.D. Warrior Lady, kill him."

"I don't die so casually Wayfinder. Reveal trap card, Soul Shield! This negates your attack and ends the battle phase. However...it costs half my life points." He frowned, wishing that he drawn some other card than that one. He felt better knowing he would gain most of those life points back after his next draw. (KLP: 1250)

"You're really so desparate that you have to rely on such a wasteful card in order to protect yourself? I really don't mind, but I was hoping for something of a challenge. Oh well, if you're the best I can get than I'm not bothered in the slightest. Lambs to the slaughter and all that." He sneered at all five of them, and then slid his drawn card onto his duel disk.

Kai frowned, knowing that his chances were slim. He had absolutely nothing going for him in this duel, not counting Snatch Steal's life point bonus. But even that wouldn't save him if Wayfinder got the chance to complete a direct attack. _'Even if I can't win, I have to do my part. In the end, I know that Dalin is somewhere behind me. And he can defeat anyone no matter what the situation is.'_

Slowly he drew and then smiled. Wayfinder's eyes widened at this, not expecting his opponent to smile in such a desperate situation. "What the hell did you draw that's making you grin like that? Nothing you could have drawn will change the situation!"

"Maybe it won't change the situation completely, but it will assist me. First though I think it's time I gain life points from Snatch Steal's side effect." Tendrils of light floated from Necro Hazeman, alighting on Kai's duel disk, granting him further life points to keep him going. (KLP: 2250)

"Now that I've done that, I'll get rid of Snatch Steal with Mystical Space Typhoon! And since that card is gone, Necro Hazeman belongs to me. It's effect won't help me, but it can destroy D.D. Warrior Lady. Attack!" Necro Hazeman pumped poison gas into the female dimensional warrior, blowing her backwards towards the portal. (WLP: 8500)

"You may have made a decent move, but you're still going to lose. D.D. Warrior Lady will now remove herself and Necro Hazeman from the game with her effect!" The leather clad woman whipped out a whip and snapped it around Hazeman's leg, pulling him into the portal with her.

Kai frowned, but he had no more cards to use, putting him at a disadvantage. "Not just that, but I activate my continuous trap card, Curse of the Different Dimension! Since your monster was removed from play you take one hundred for each of its levels. And that's six!" (KLP: 1650)

Wayfinder sneered and slammed the card he had just drawn onto his duel disk. "Begone mortal! D.D. Assailant(1700/1600) come out and strike him down in one blow!"

A warrior wielding something of a buster sword jumped down and slashed Kai with his weapon, hurling him backwards. Ryu and Daniel caught him just barely, bringing him down to their level as his energy was absorbed into the portal, opening it further. "What joy! But still, I need more energy for the portal to be opened, so now I have to wait for more duelists." (KLP: 0)

"Wait no more Wayfinder, because it's my turn to do some ass-kicking on you." Kirani stepped out from the shadows, her duel disk already triggered and one card in her hand. Wayfinder raised an eyebrow, surprised that she knew who he was. (KLP: 2000)

"The blonde guy on the ground just sent me a message with his mind. A pretty cool trick, so now I know all about you and your strategy. Although mostly it seems your strategy is playing unfairly. So let's see what I can do with this monster, Gilford of Thunder(1800/400)!" The younger version of Gilford the Lightning appeared on her field and unsheathed his sword instantly.

"I draw one card from the top of my deck, and one from the bottom. Now, I kill D.D. Assailant!" Gilford of Thunder slashed his sword through the buster sword wielding monster. He grimaced and grabbed hold of the attacking warrior and pulled him into the portal, removing Gilford of Thunder from the game. (WLP: 8400)

"Heh, any monster that kills Assailant is removed from the game. So looks like you're out of luck. Not only that but my trap card deals your four hundred damage, something you can't afford to take." Kirani frowned, but otherwise didn't seem bothered by the damage she had taken. (KLP: 1600)

"Whatever. I set one card face down. Your turn cheater." Wayfinder growled, irritated at being called a cheater. He was also annoyed by her nonchalant attitude. Then again, he was in exactly the same position she was, only with more life points.

"You're cocky aren't you? So tell me, what makes you so confident?" While speaking he casually slid his drawn card onto his duel disk, causing it to appear in front of him as his only card.

"Because I know that even if I lose, there are still people waiting in the wings. And one of them...he'll be quite upset if you do anything to hurt me. And if he's pissed off, you won't stand a chance. So it's with that knowledge that I take my turn!" She snapped up a card and then slammed it into her duel disk.

"Go Emergency Provisions! I'll sacrifice my face down Tri-Thunder Blaze along with Fusion Gate in order to gain two thousand life points." The two cards faded away, and energy surged into her duel disk, pumping up her life points. (KLP: 3600)

Wayfinder just sneered, not bothered by this development. He still had about three times as many life points as her. "I play Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two." She did so, looking happy at what she saw.

"Now in a very overused combo I activate Monster Reborn, calling back one of the monsters I discarded. Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) the cornerstone of my deck!" The powerful lightning wielder held his blade up high in triumph, knowing that he had an easy job ahead of him.

Wayfinder held up his hand to stifle a fake yawn and then snapped his fingers. Gilford vanished, tumbling down into a pit beneath his feet. "Bottomless Trap Hole removes Gilford the Lightning from the game. Then Curse of the Different Dimension deals you eight hundred damage." (KLP: 2800)

Kirani grimaced, but she had no choice but to end her turn since she had nothing left to work with. At least it would take more than one shot for Wayfinder to finish her since he was also top decking. "Go ahead and draw."

"And so I shall, a lot. You see, I've drawn Life-Slashing Treasure, which lets me draw until I hold five cards, although in five turns I'll discard my hand. But I don't mind at all." He smirked and drew five cards, causing Kirani to become slightly more worried than she had been before.

"How useful. I play Hand Grasping From the Abyss to add D.D. Warrior Lady from out of play into my hand. Then I play Polymerization and fuse her with D.D. Dragon(1200/1500) in order to create D.D. Warrior Lady the Dragon Knight(2200/2500)." His newest monster was the female dimensional warrior riding on the back of a spectral green dragon with prismatic eyes.

She grimaced, knowing that he could still normal summon for the turn since that had been a special summon. This might be it for her. "You can see it can't you? Here's the end for you! Since I special summon a monster with 'd.d' or 'dimension' in its title I can now summon this monster, Dimensional Doppleganger(?). Unlike his other counterpart this monster works when I special summon a monster and not normal summon one. It takes that monster's form and effect, so now I have two of my fusion monsters!"

Another warrior riding a dragon flew down next to the first, spelling certain doom for Kirani. But she still didn't look too bothered. "Just remember what I said. If you hurt me, there's a guy waiting in the wings ready to kick your ass."

"I'll remember that...if he makes it here, whoever he is. But now, you're finished. Attack her directly!" Twin beams of prismatic light struck Kirani, hurling her off her feet. Each of the others grabbed her, stopping her from completely falling. (KLP: 0)

Wayfinder smirked and surveyed his six defeated opponents, feeling his portal grow closer to completion. All he needed was at the least one more strong source of energy, and he could feel a powerful person approaching. "So...the wolf demon. Can you bring me a real challenge?"

Rikuo Amero stepped into the room, glancing down at his fallen friends. He paused a moment as Ryu relayed information to him, and then he snapped his head up, his eyes blazing with anger. "You're not a duelist at all...you're nothing but a pathetic worm, and your dirty methods won't do anything to me!"

"You really think you can do anything to hurt me when you have nothing going for you and I have everything in my favor? You're even cockier than any of these other pathetic idiots. Hell, you guys even fell for my power trick...drawing these guys here by projecting an energy source that they would recognize. All too easy to get powerful people like them and I knew people like you would follow after. You non-dimension travelers are always so naive that it's funny!" And just to prove that, Wayfinder started laughing.

Rikuo snarled and snapped a card off his deck, not bothering to look at it yet. "Naive? Keh, if there's one thing you should remember about me it's that I am strong...and you are weak!"

He held up the card and then slammed it into his duel disk. "Now I'll show you just how strong I am! Get ready to lose, because now you face Rikuo Amero, the Wolf Demon General!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Next Chapter:The Dimension Gate; Pt. 3_

Author's Notes: Now only a few duelists remain between Wayfinder and finishing his dimension gate and obliterating both his dimension and this one. Can Rikuo stand up to Wayfinder while top decking, or is the wolf demon general out of luck? Let's find out shall we?

_Review Responses_

WolfGeneral: Oh it'd be an interesting match-up between those two. And in a fair duel(unlike this one) Deondre or any of these guys would probably win. As you can see Ryu couldn't do it, but he and Daniel did their part.

Time Mage: Dude, the trap was removed from the grave, and as you can see it was a bluff. Literal Lord of the Different Dimension that taught him. Along with Different Dimension Master. Hence the existence of those two cards.

John: Ah yes, Quantum Leap, such a great show.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Ryu: Infernus the Pyro Dragon(WG), Shine the Light Dragon(WG), Fusion Cycle, Haze the Smoke Dragon(WG)

Daniel: Elemental Dragonic Hero Pyro Lady, Elemental Dragonic Hero Solar Man, Elemental Dragonic Hero Necro Hazeman, Elemental Dragonic Hero Solar Wind Man

Wayfinder: D.D. Greed, Dimensional Hammer, D.D. Fortitude, Dimensional Knight(WG), Curse of the Different Dimension

Kirani: Gilford of Thunder, Tri-Thunder Blaze

**Anime/Manga Cards**

Daniel: Tiny Pound Hammer, Elemental Hero Necro Darkman

Wayfinder: Damage Condenser

Kai: Soul Shield


	29. The Dimension Gate Pt 3

Author's Notes: Now for this chapter. And we shall call it...this chapter.

_**Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Dimension Gate; Pt. 3**_

_Wayfinder smirked and surveyed his six defeated opponents, feeling his portal grow closer to completion. All he needed was at the least one more strong source of energy, and he could feel a powerful person approaching. "So...the wolf demon. Can you bring me a real challenge?"_

_Rikuo Amero stepped into the room, glancing down at his fallen friends. He paused a moment as Ryu relayed information to him, and then he snapped his head up, his eyes blazing with anger. "You're not a duelist at all...you're nothing but a pathetic worm, and your dirty methods won't do anything to me!"_

"_You really think you can do anything to hurt me when you have nothing going for you and I have everything in my favor? You're even cockier than any of these other pathetic idiots. Hell, you guys even fell for my power trick...drawing these guys here by projecting an energy source that they would recognize. All too easy to get powerful people like them and I knew people like you would follow after. You non-dimension travelers are always so naive that it's funny!" And just to prove that, Wayfinder started laughing._

_Rikuo snarled and snapped a card off his deck, not bothering to look at it yet. "Naive? Keh, if there's one thing you should remember about me it's that I am strong...and you are weak!"_

_He held up the card and then slammed it into his duel disk. "Now I'll show you just how strong I am! Get ready to lose, because now you face Rikuo Amero, the Wolf Demon General!"_

The magic card shimmered, revealing a demon with bleeding wrists holding up his arms to Dark Ruler Hades. "Dark Compensation activates whenever you have more monsters on the field than I do. I can draw the difference, meaning since you have two and I have none I now draw two cards!"

Wayfinder frowned, silently impressed that Rikuo had made a top deck like that so quickly. Then again there was no telling what he had drawn. "So, what do you have to face me with?"

"I have a combo, that's what. Now shut up and let me play part one, Exchange of Spirits!" Wayfinder looked at the wolf demon questioningly, and Rikuo just smirked.

"Since you don't know, I'll explain. Exchange of Spirits swaps our graveyards for just one turn. Which is perfect to let me activate Replay, paying half my life points to use your Life-Slashing Treasure!" The dimensional warrior growled in irritation as the wolf demon instantly gained a full hand. (RLP: 1250)

Rikuo fanned the five cards out, a smug look on his face. "I told you I was above your pathetic methods. I can draw whatever I need, and now I'm going to bring down the first of your dragons. Meet Gold Wind-Up Knight(1500/1500)!"

A golden toy knight emerged with a little wind-up bar on its back. Wayfinder snickered at the monster, obviously not impressed. "That's all you've got? That thing couldn't take down my dragons in a millennia!"

"You really don't know anything about strategy do you? It's all about combination, so I play Bonds of Brothers in order to summon Bronze Wind-Up Knight(500/500) and Silver Wind-Up Knight(1000/1000)!" Two smaller wind-up knights appeared, each one its respective color. (RLP: 250)

"Together my monsters form a monster similar to Valkyrion, they create the mighty Super Toy Knight(3000/3000)! Who will cut down your first dragon!" The merged monster stomped into action and cleaved the first of the fusion monsters in half, damaging Wayfinder's life points. (WLP: 7600)

Rikuo sneered at his opponent and slid one of his remaining cards onto his duel disk, leaving him with two cards in his hand. "You see how pathetic you are? All those life points, and you can't do a damned thing with them!"

Wayfinder snapped a card off his deck and then after one glance he slid it onto his duel disk. "Can't do anything with life points? Let me show you as I regain life points with the continuous magic card: Soul Absorption!"

Rikuo nodded, hardly worried. All that card meant was that every time a card was removed from the game Wayfinder would gain five hundred life points. "Speaking of regaining, let me do so by activating D.D. Warrior Lady the Dragon Knight's effect and remove D.D. Crazy Beast from the game to have her attack directly!" (WLP: 8100)

The dragon aimed and fired a beam of prismatic energy straight past Super Toy Knight and at Rikuo. The wolf demon shook his head and then motioned to his set card. "You see, nothing but an amateur! Widespread Ruin destroys the strongest monster on your field, so your fusion is gone!"

The dimensional warrior gasped as the fusion blew apart, and the attack fizzled out, leaving Rikuo completely intact. "Damn, you're so pathetic. You walked into that trap so easily, and now you've got nothing to defend yourself with."

"Even if you attack me directly I'll still be safe because I have plenty of life points left while you barely have a handful left. So my turn is ended!" The watchers against the wall felt their spirits lift as Rikuo drew, knowing that he'd soon get a major chance to deal damage.

The former general took a brief glance at his card, and after seeing that it wasn't a monster he could summon he simply pointed at Wayfinder. "Super Toy Knight, go bring me a chunk of his flesh as you rip a chunk out of his life points."

The toy knight stabbed its sword directly into Wayfinder's stomach, but because it wasn't entirely real it didn't pierce through, but by the look on the warrior's face it hurt like hell. "Bastard...for that one final attack...you will pay, because now the end has come for you!" (WLP: 5100)

"Bah! There's nothing you can do to stop me Wayfinder, all of your luck has been exhausted. Field control is mine, and in a few short turns I'll reduce your life points to zero. What can you do about it?" In response to that question Wayfinder opened the side slot of his duel disk and slammed the one card he was holding into it. Nothing happened.

"The scenery doesn't appear different does it? Well that's because the card's appearance is just substituted by the structure behind me. You see, since I've taken a grand total of fifteen thousand damage during this duel I can now activate my field magic card, The Dimension Gate! Instantly it removes every card in the grave from the game and gives me thirty thousand life points!" The dimension gate behind him flickered as energy surged into him, and various cards flew over to him, removed from the game. (WLP: 35100)

"In addition I must sacrifice one magic or trap card I have in play, so I sacrifice Curse of the Different Dimension. Next since I have Soul Absorption in play I gain five hundred life points for each removed card. A grand total of fifty five cards were removed, and that means I gain an additional twenty-seven thousand five hundred life points!" Rikuo didn't flinch as his opponent's life points surged, but knew things had just gotten tougher. (WLP: 62600)

"The Dimension Gate also grants me and you additional abilities, although because of the situation you get nothing. However, I can't use any since it isn't my turn. So, are you done for now?" Rikuo nodded, sliding one card onto his duel disk to conclude his turn.

Wayfinder snickered and snapped a card off his duel disk, giving him a grand total of one card in hand. "During my standby phase, and yours, we can each special summon a monster from our removed from play pile to the field. But since Dimension Port placed all cards in my removed from play pile that's no problem. Come on down, Dark Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)!"

The leather clad blue-skinned spellcaster emerged from the portal, brandishing his pitch black staff. "Any effect that targets the grave for me can be used to target the out of play pile. So Dark Magician of Chaos grabs me a magic card from my out of play pile."

He snapped his fingers and a new card appeared in his hand. "Time to show you another effect of The Dimension Gate, because when a card would go to the grave it is removed from play, and I'll gain five hundred life points thanks to Soul Absorption. So I play Dimensional Hammer, removing from play it and Super Toy Knight!"

The massive blue hammer crushed the toy knight, and both were gone, leaving Rikuo with just his face down card. "Thanks to The Dimension Gate I now gain a grand total of one thousand life points!" (WLP: 63600)

"Now, Dark Magician of Chaos attacks you directly for game!" The magician aimed his staff and fired a sphere of dark energy at the wolf demon. Rikuo grimaced and snapped his fingers. Instantly a yellow tank figure appeared, only to be blasted away.

"Union Strategy lets me special summon a level four union monster from my deck to the field, so Z-Metal Tank(1500/1300) was able to protect me from death. Unfortunately it also grants you another one thousand life points." Wayfinder sighed, obviously he had hoped to end the duel and take Rikuo's energy then and there. (WLP: 64600)

Since he had nothing else to do, Wayfinder was done. "Go ahead and take your turn Rikuo. It won't matter in the slightest."

"We'll see what matters and what doesn't. But since I can't go on the offensive right now, I'll set one magic or trap card and then one monster, and that ends my turn." Two cards appeared on Rikuo's field. His last ditch effort to protect himself from the oncoming assault.

Wayfinder snatched up a card and then snapped his fingers. Immediately another figure emerged from The Dimension Gate, revealing itself to be none other than, "Super Toy Knight(3000/3000) now aids me!"

The wolf demon frowned, but said nothing. He knew he would have to play this out carefully if he were to survive. "Is that all you've got? Using other people's monsters because you have no real strength of your own?"

"I'll show you real strength! But first I'll borrow a little more power, just like you said with my Dimension Distortion card, bringing out Elemental Dragonic Hero Pyro Lady(2600/1900)!" The muscular fired covered super hero also appeared beside the other two monsters. (WLP: 65100)

"Now I normal summon D.D. Lancer(1500/1000) who can deal damage through defense. Which means he attacks your face down monster!" The armored man charged in with his lance, only to be bounced away by the metallic armor of the red mechanical dragon that he had attacked. (WLP: 65000)

"Y-Dragon Head(1500/1600) is just a little bit too strong for your D.D. Lancer to take care of. Care to try something else, or is that the most pathetic thing you can do this turn?" Wayfinder snarled and pointed at Y-Dragon Head. Instantly Pyro Lady attacked and blew it apart. (WLP: 65500)

"That shows you! Now, Super Toy Knight attacks you directly to end you once and for all! What's more fitting than killing you with one of your own monsters?" The toy knight rushed into action, wielding its sword. Rikuo just smirked.

"How about one of my monsters killing you? Go, Attack Redirecting Armor!" In order to protect himself, there was only one choice Rikuo could make. So the dark armor settled over Dark Magician of Chaos, making it the new target of the attack. It was split in half. (WLP: 66300)

"Bastard...fine, I don't care! I set one card face down, and that's all for now! Let's see you last more than another turn against me, what with you having no cards on your field and just one in your hand against my army. And with only two hundred and fifty life points? You're finished!" He threw back his head and laughed, a la evil villain style.

Rikuo quirked an eyebrow, but snickered at whatever he had drawn. "Let's see just how good an evil villain you make! A true evil villain always has a method to protect themself, so if you block my next attack I'll admit that you're a good villain. If not...then I won't say it."

He snickered and held up one of his drawn cards, revealing a very powerful card. "I think Dark Hole should clear the field of your pesky monsters shouldn't it?" All the monsters were blown away and removed from the game, granting Wayfinder even more life points. (WLP: 68300)

"Next I play Card of Sanctity in order to force each player to draw until they hold six cards!" As they slid cards off their deck until they had the necessary cards, Ryu's eyes widened slightly and then narrowed, as if he had discovered something interesting. Neither duelist noticed it. (WLP: 68800)

"Just like I was hoping, let's see you block this attack. Antique Gear Soldier(1300/1300) come out and blast Wayfinder!" A darkened machine that looked rusty appeared, its right arm something of a machine gun. It hefted the weapon and let loose a deadly volley.

Wayfinder sneered and motioned to his face down card...but nothing happened. "My D.D. Ring isn't working! What's going on?" He didn't get the answer in time to stop him from being struck by the attack. (WLP: 67500)

"When Antique Gear Soldier attacks my opponent he or she cannot chain magic or trap cards. So, you really couldn't have stopped my attack no matter how hard you tried. And that means, my turn is done, proving you to be a bad villain." He smirked as he slid two of his remaining six cards onto his duel disk.

"You're nothing but a punk wolf demon against my power! Emerge Dark Magician of Chaos(2800/2600) and bring me back Storm of the Different Dimension!" Rikuo gasped as his two face down cards were pulled into the vortex, along with Wayfinder's set card. (WLP: 69000)

"Now, this means that you have no way to protect yourself does it? I mean, it's doubtful you have a Kuriboh(300/200) in your hand, and there are no graveyard cards you can use since you have no graveyard. That means I've won!" Rikuo frowned, but didn't object. Because it was true, there was nothing he could do to stop this next attack.

"Dark Magician of Chaos, destroy Antique Gear Soldier and the last of Rikuo's life points with your Chaos Scepter Blast! Bring me the energy I need to complete my gateway!" A ball of chaos magic hurtled towards Rikuo, who was just waiting for the end to come.

Suddenly to both of their surprise a rainbow barrier appeared in front of the attack, absorbing it. Then the rainbow shield flowed into Rikuo's duel disk, and he had much needed life points restored to him. "What the hell is going on here?" (RLP: 3050)

Wayfinder growled and pounded his fist into his thigh, glaring angrily at the wolf demon. "That's exactly what I want to know! What the hell kind of move was that? You didn't have anything you could use to protect yourself with!"

"He didn't, but I did!" Both duelists turned to the doorway, and right at the entrance stood none other than Drake, his shirt still slightly soaked by blood and his duel disk already activated. In addition he held four cards in his hand. (DLP: 3000)

"How could you have stopped him! You weren't even in the duel yet, and even if you had been you shouldn't have any cards and you couldn't stop me anyways with nothing on the field!" Even Rikuo couldn't argue with that, because it didn't make any sense.

Drake grinned, despite the pain he was feeling from his shoulder. "It's simple. I was in the hallway when I heard Rikuo declare the activation of Card of Sanctity. Then I got a little message in my head telling me the situation, so I drew my cards and came on out just in time to stop the attack. But the stopping part, that was the cool magic track."

They stared at him, waiting for the explanation to be finished. "In my drawn cards I had Kuriboh Magician(300/200) so I was able to discard it in order to play my Mirage Magic quick-play, deflecting the attack and giving the life points I would have gained to Rikuo. Simple enough isn't it?"

Wayfinder growled in irritation as the cocky punk duelist walked up beside Rikuo, taking his position for the duel. Now it was two on one, and despite the situation of life points Wayfinder could tell this wasn't a good thing. "Fine, my turn is done with these last two cards face down and D.D. Trainer(100/2000) in defense. Even with your help you two can't win." (WLP: 70000)

Rikuo picked up another card from his duel disk and glanced over at his duel partner. "I guess I owe you for this one Drake. I would have had it if you hadn't showed up in time."

"Eh, think nothing of it, I know you'd have done the same had it been mean. Now, let's get down to business and kick this guy's ass." The two duelists grinned and then the turn was on again.

"I play Special Return, bringing Antique Gear Soldier back to my hand and letting me draw one card. So I'll summon Mecha Assembler(1600/1650) in attack mode in its place!" Despite the new monster, Wayfinder was still up. But Drake knew why Rikuo had swapped monsters. (WLP: 70500)

"Mecha Assembler counts as a double sacrifice for machine monsters, so I offer him in order to summon Antique Gear Golem(3000/3000) who happens to share his weaker version's same ability, along with a trample effect." A massive golem-like machine appeared in place of the other monster, giving Rikuo the strongest monster in play. (WLP: 71000)

Wayfinder grimaced, glancing at his D.D. Trainer. Despite its generally impressive defense power it was nothing against the brute strength of Antique Gear Golem. "Antique Gear Golem, kill the trainer!" And with one brute punch, the trainer was gone. (WLP: 70500)

"Keh, with that out of the way I'll set one card face down. Now, let's see what you can do Drake. Give him a taste of your power." The punk duelist nodded and snapped a card off the top of his deck, giving him five cards in his hand.

"I'd rather go direct than merely have Dark Magician of Chaos attack directly. Besides, that monster bugs me a lot. So, I think I'll play Play of Rebellion...on Antique Gear Golem!" The golem turned and swung a blow at Rikuo.

Rikuo smirked and snapped his fingers, causing his face down card to reveal itself. The blow was caught by a giant cylinder, and energy surged within it. "Although my opponent can't chain to Golem's attack, I'm not the opponent...which means I'll use Magic Cylinder to fire the attack directly at Wayfinder's life points!"

A blast of energy slammed into Wayfinder, forcing him backwards. He growled in irritation, and the duelists on the sidelines gathered the energy to cheer at the impressive two player combo. "Now that's what I call team work!" (WLP: 68500)

Drake grinned confidently, but then his gaze turned withering as he looked at Dark Magician of Chaos. "Like I said, that monster annoys me. Not only does its name seem wrong, but seeing that creature facing me is just not what I'd like. So I play Magic Heart, which gives me control of one spellcaster on the field!" (WLP: 69000)

The magician floated over to his side of the field, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "Since this monster doesn't share the same effect as Gear Golem, I'll play Magician's Storm to blow away both of your sets!" (WLP: 70500)

Rikuo eyed him askance, knowing that he had just undone all the damage they had successfully dealt. "Don't worry Rikuo, I was just clearing the field for later...and for this. Chaos Scepter Blast!"

Another energy attack struck Wayfinder, dealing further damage to his life points. But considering that he still had plenty, he wasn't particularly worried. "Whittle away at my life points all you want, but paltry attacks like that won't do anything to me. At this point an attack like that is nothing but a chilly breeze." (WLP: 67700)

Drake frowned, but said nothing in response. Instead he set one of his last two cards onto his field. That was it for his turn.

Wayfinder sneered and snapped his fingers, causing Super Toy Knight to appear. "You really have no idea what you're up against, so let me show you! Dimension Cyclone removes your only set card from the game, giving you five hundred life points and me one thousand!" The card vanished in a spray of blue crystal wind, leaving their only defense as their two monsters. (DLP: 3500, WLP: 68700)

"Now, Super Toy Knight is strong, but not enough to beat Antique Gear Golem. Since they perfectly tie, I'll activate this ritual magic card, Dimension Rift! By offering Super Toy Knight and a D.D. Assailant from my hand I'll special summon Lord of the Different Dimension(4000/2500!" The two monsters faded away, and were replaced by something much deadlier. (WLP: 69200)

A kingly figure in armor with golden blonde hair and a crystalline staff emerged from the portal, standing tall and proud. "This monster, I'm sure you recognize it. In fact, I saw this so-called Dimension Duelist of yours use it to defeat one of your world's strongest duelists. And now it will take you down! Kill Antique Gear Golem!"

Energy slammed into the machine, sprayed from the monster's staff, burning it away until Rikuo's field was completely empty. "Damn it..." (RLP: 2050, WLP: 69700)

"You see, this is why you can't beat me! I have ultimate power when it comes to the different dimension! Even if I gave you ten free turns with my own Lord of the Different Dimension, my strongest monster, you couldn't kill me!" He smirked, knowing that what he said was true. He practically had the duel in his hand.

Rikuo frowned, but knew there was little he could do. "I set one monster and one magic or trap card. Drake, I hope you've got some really good cards waiting in the wings."

Drake didn't respond, instead he just drew. He glanced down at the card, and then began to think about the situation. In the next turn Wayfinder could summon Antique Gear Golem and use its effect to prevent them from using their set cards...so it couldn't stay out of play. "Monster Returned, bring back Antique Gear Golem(3000/3000) in defense mode!" (WLP: 70200)

The mechanical monstrosity appeared on Drake's field, crouching down. "Now I set the last card in my hand face down. Let's see what you've got Wayfinder. Bring it on!"

Wayfinder smirked and snapped his fingers, causing Super Toy Knight to appear once again. "You want me to bring it? Well I'll do just that right now! I activate Monster Reborn, and since I can choose if a card effects the out of play pile instead of the grave I'll use it like Monster Returned in order to special summon Gearfried the Swordmaster(2600/2000) to the field!" (WLP: 70700)

The barely clothed but muscular warrior now stood next to the toy machine and the mighty ruler of the different dimension. Together they made a three-part force of extreme power. Drake grimaced, but he still pressed his button. "Strength of the Soul draws all attacks to my monsters this turn, preventing you from attacking directly at all, or attacking Rikuo."

"Fine, I don't care, I'll just finish off your two monsters and clear myself a path. Lord of the Different Dimension and Super Toy Knight...destroy his two monsters!" Single attacks from each monster obliterated Drake's only defense, leaving him completely open. (WLP: 72200)

"Now I summon Dimensional Warrior(1200/800) in attack mode and end my turn at that." The red haired dimensional being bowed deeply to Lord of the Different Dimension, recognizing his ruler with respect.

Rikuo drew, knowing that Drake must have chosen to protect him specifically for a reason. Even though he didn't like thinking that someone else had to protect him, he knew that Drake was right in that situation, neither of his two cards would have protected him, but now...

"Pot of Greed activates, and you should know it's effect since you're such a great duelist." Wayfinder growled at the sarcasm in Rikuo's voice, irritated by the obvious slight. Drake chuckling in amusement didn't help at all. (WLP: 72700)

"Wayfinder, you're strong but...in the end, you're just not strong enough. Over the years I've gathered powerful cards and become even stronger, and I've drawn two of my most powerful cards. First up, I sacrifice my set monster to the magic card Hope of Faith!" His face down card briefly showed itself as Mechanical Chaser before it was gone.

Twin columns of energy, one black and one white appeared in front of him. They cleared, revealing two knights, one in black armor and one in white. The one in black armor looked like Rikuo, while the one in white looked like Daniel. "These monsters will crush you."

The dark armored one raised his sword. "I am Yami Knight(6000/0)." The white armored one copied the motion. "I am Hikari Knight(0/6000)!"

Drake whistled, impressed once again by the two monsters. He had faced them before and he knew just how dangerous they could be. After all, their combined form had defeated his Supreme Sage of Balance. "Go on Rikuo, kick his ass." (WLP: 73700)

"Damned straight I will! First though, I play Fissure to destroy Dimensional Warrior. Next I attack Lord of the Different Dimension!" Dimensional Warrior was blown apart as the ground cracked underneath him, and then Lord of the Different Dimension was struck down by Yami Knight's blade. (WLP: 73200)

"Next I flip up Sneak Attack from the Darkness, which lets my Yami Knight attack again and cut down Super Toy Knight!" Another slash of the blade finished off the machine monster, leaving the only monster on Wayfinder's field as Gearfried the Swordmaster. (WLP: 71200)

"Now I activate Hell Meteor! Burn you bastard!" Wayfinder threw up his hands as a giant ball of hell fire crashed into him, exploding and blasting hit across the entire room. The flames reached for the weakened duelists at the wall, but a bright silvery shield reached out and guarded them. (WLP: 67700)

Drake and Rikuo glanced backwards, finding Dalin standing in the doorway, his hand extended. He was the one who had produced the shield to protect the others from the fires of Hell Meteor. However, on his arm was a teenage blonde girl. Drake blinked, surprised to see her. "What's with the groupy?"

The blonde's eyes blazed with a fire almost equivalent to the fire of Hell Meteor. In the blink of an eye she was right in front of Drake, glaring up at him. "I'm not a groupy! And if you truly want to know who I am, then allow me to introduce myself!"

She did a little spin and clapped her hands together, staring up into the sky. Then she struck a pose with both arms up in the arm like she was a ballerina. "I am Alice Terry, the founder and number one member of the Dalin Imaki Sumatin Fan Club!"

The entire room was unable to stop from prat-falling, even Dalin was sweat-dropping. Drake recovered and stared at her like she was a lunatic. "Errr...yeah...that makes sense."

He glanced at Dalin again, hoping for an answer that made more sense. But he wouldn't get one. "Sorry Daisuke, even I have no idea. She just followed me."

"This is a hilarious moment, but there's a dueling going on here, so why don't we get back to it!" Wayfinder emerged from the smoke, his leather armor cracked, but himself otherwise fine, if a bit sooty. He also looked rather annoyed.

Drake frowned, realizing that despite the power of Hell Meteor it wasn't over. Wayfinder still had plenty of life points left, so they weren't done yet. "You're tough Wayfinder, but we're strong. Get ready, because this duel is about to end!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Next Chapter:The Dimension Gate; Pt. 4_

Author's Notes: Get ready, because next chapter brings the end to this final duel, and some more concluding pieces with a wrap up of the story. Next chapter is the final true chapter, so wait for it!

_Review Responses_

WolfGeneral: As you can see he did manage to do two on one with Drake.

John: Rikuo is your standard Yu-Gi-Oh main character type in that he can basically top deck his way out of any situation.

Time Mage: I figured that Dalin's big thing would be facing his alternate self and I'd leave the rest to the others. As you can see Rikuo was able to pump up Drake's hand to a full six without knowing it.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Rikuo: Dark Compensation, Exchange of Spirits(WG), Replay(WG), Gold Wind-Up Knight(WG), Silver Wind-Up Knight(WG), Bronze Wind-Up Knight(WG), Super Toy Knight(WG), Union Strategy, Special Return, Mecha Assembler, Hope of Faith(WG), Yami Knight(WG), Hikari Knight(WG), Hell Meteor(WG)

Wayfinder: Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight(G), The Dimension Gate, Dimensional Hammer, Elemental Dragonic Hero Pyro Lady, D.D. Lancer(WG), Storm of the Different Dimension, Dimension Cyclone(WG)

Drake: Kuriboh Magician, Magic Heart, Magician's Storm, Monster Returned(WG), Strength of the Soul

**Anime/Manga Cards**

Rikuo: Bonds of Brothers, Attack Redirecting Armor, Sneak Attack From the Darkness, Life-Slashing Treasure

Drake: Mirage Magic, Play of Rebellion


	30. The Dimension Gate Pt 4

Author's Notes: Now, the end to this duel once and for all.

_**Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Dimension Gate; Pt. 4**_

_Wayfinder, you're strong but...in the end, you're just not strong enough. Over the years I've gathered powerful cards and become even stronger, and I've drawn two of my most powerful cards. First up, I sacrifice my set monster to the magic card Hope of Faith!" His face down card briefly showed itself as Mechanical Chaser before it was gone._

_Twin columns of energy, one black and one white appeared in front of him. They cleared, revealing two knights, one in black armor and one in white. The one in black armor looked like Rikuo, while the one in white looked like Daniel. "These monsters will crush you."_

_The dark armored one raised his sword. "I am Yami Knight(6000/0)." The white armored one copied the motion. "I am Hikari Knight(0/6000)!"_

_Drake whistled, impressed once again by the two monsters. He had faced them before and he knew just how dangerous they could be. After all, their combined form had defeated his Supreme Sage of Balance. "Go on Rikuo, kick his ass." (WLP: 73700)_

"_Damned straight I will! First though, I play Fissure to destroy Dimensional Warrior. Next I attack Lord of the Different Dimension!" Dimensional Warrior was blown apart as the ground cracked underneath him, and then Lord of the Different Dimension was struck down by Yami Knight's blade. (WLP: 73200)_

"_Next I flip up Sneak Attack from the Darkness, which lets my Yami Knight attack again and cut down Super Toy Knight!" Another slash of the blade finished off the machine monster, leaving the only monster on Wayfinder's field as Gearfried the Swordmaster. (WLP: 71200)_

"_Now I activate Hell Meteor! Burn you bastard!" Wayfinder threw up his hands as a giant ball of hell fire crashed into him, exploding and blasting hit across the entire room. The flames reached for the weakened duelists at the wall, but a bright silvery shield reached out and guarded them. (WLP: 67700)_

_Drake and Rikuo glanced backwards, finding Dalin standing in the doorway, his hand extended. He was the one who had produced the shield to protect the others from the fires of Hell Meteor. However, on his arm was a teenage blonde girl. Drake blinked, surprised to see her. "What's with the groupy?"_

_The blonde's eyes blazed with a fire almost equivalent to the fire of Hell Meteor. In the blink of an eye she was right in front of Drake, glaring up at him. "I'm not a groupy! And if you truly want to know who I am, then allow me to introduce myself!"_

_She did a little spin and clapped her hands together, staring up into the sky. Then she struck a pose with both arms up in the arm like she was a ballerina. "I am Alice Terry, the founder and number one member of the Dalin Imaki Sumatin Fan Club!" _

_The entire room was unable to stop from prat-falling, even Dalin was sweat-dropping. Drake recovered and stared at her like she was a lunatic. "Errr...yeah...that makes sense."_

_He glanced at Dalin again, hoping for an answer that made more sense. But he wouldn't get one. "Sorry Daisuke, even I have no idea. She just followed me."_

"_This is a hilarious moment, but there's a dueling going on here, so why don't we get back to it!" Wayfinder emerged from the smoke, his leather armor cracked, but himself otherwise fine, if a bit sooty. He also looked rather annoyed._

_Drake frowned, realizing that despite the power of Hell Meteor it wasn't over. Wayfinder still had plenty of life points left, so they weren't done yet. "You're tough Wayfinder, but we're strong. Get ready, because this duel is about to end!"_

The punk duelist snapped up a card off his deck, and then almost immediately slammed it into his duel disk. "Let's see whose destiny is better shall we? I happen to love this little move, so I activate my field magic card, Destiny's Way!"

The watching duelists, particularly Rikuo who was in the duel, looked at Drake like he was an idiot. Wayfinder looked incredibly amused, however they didn't notice that Dalin seemed to be smiling slightly. Drake looked very smug though.

"What kind of idiot are you? I thought you were strong after successfully defeating Weevil in that duel with such an impressive combo, but now it seems you're just lucky. The Dimension Gate field card cannot be destroyed by any effect whatsoever, so your field card cannot be played!" He snickered with amusement, but his laughter began to die down when the area around them began to change.

"I'm no amateur, and I happen to know all about this game, more than you do. See, my first major job was teaching duelists at Kaiba Land, and so I became well versed in every aspect of the game. You on the other hand...you're just a nobody with a strong field card!" Wayfinder snarled, but his anger couldn't stop the changes.

"What the hell is going on! What is this?" They were now surrounded by a field of stars which seemed to form a pathway of some sort. The portal that was behind him was no longer visible, blocked out by the darkness of the field card.

"This? Why this is Destiny's Way, that's what it is. And this field card will show just why you have no chance of winning this duel, and why we're going to win." He smirked and cracked his neck, looking incredibly confident. And suddenly Rikuo began to laugh, as he had just understood.

Wayfinder on the other hand didn't seem amused anymore. He looked royally pissed. "This is impossible! The effect of The Dimension Gate states that it cannot be destroy by any effect!"

Drake tapped a finger against the side of his head, grinning. "See, you obviously aren't good with words, otherwise you'd understand your failure. I didn't destroy The Dimension Gate with an effect, no, I got around that."

"How? How can you get around an effect like that? There's no loophole, I know it!" The dimensional duelist looked slightly panicked now that his biggest advantage was gone. Certainly he could activate it again, but only if he took another fifteen thousand damage.

"It's not a loophole, it's a rule! And that's exactly how I destroyed The Dimension Gate, with the very rules of the game! According to the rules when a field magic card is played and another was previously in play that previous field card is automatically destroyed. I didn't destroy The Dimension Gate with an effect, I destroyed it with a rule, and that means Destiny's Way is our new field card!" Wayfinder stared at Drake in horror, barely able to comprehend that it was true. His ultimate card...beaten.

"Now, if I'm right you have nothing to defend yourself with, so I'll show you that my destiny is stronger than yours! I pay one thousand of my life points, and declare magic! Now each of us draws five cards and discards any cards that aren't magic cards!" The three duelists slid five cards off their respective decks and held them up to see what they were. (DLP: 2500)

Rikuo fanned out his hand and frowned slightly, then picked up three of his cards. "I have to discard Jinzo(2400/1500), Royal Decree, and Mirror Force." He showed his three cards, and then dumped them into his graveyard.

Next up Wayfinder looked at his own five cards, and then flipped a few of them around. "I discard D.D. Lancer(1500/1000), Different Dimension Master(1700/1500), and Dimensional Nova. The other two cards I keep, just like Rikuo did."

Both of them turned to Drake, who was matching gazes with Wayfinder, his eyes as hard as steel, with fire flickering within. Getting fed up with the waiting, Wayfinder finally asked. "Well, what do you discard?"

"Absolutely nothing." Wayfinder's eyes widened in horror, unable to believe that Drake had just drawn five magic cards. Daniel, Ryu, and Alice also seemed impressed by this feat. But the others knew Drake well enough to know that he had more magic cards than any other card in his deck, and therefor it was more likely to happen.

"Now, with five magic cards I have five ways to kick your ass, and I'm going to begin my combo with a magic card known as Royal Edict! I name one card and then if that card exists in the other player's deck I may add that card to my hand. If I guess wrong I take fifteen hundred damage." He slipped the card into his duel disk, and then glanced over at Rikuo and moved his lips slightly.

Wayfinder glared at the two, particularly when Rikuo smirked so confidently. "What are you so cocky about? Tell me your choice and we'll see if it's in my deck."

"I'm not targeting you with it, I'm targeting Rikuo. And I only have to tell my target the card I chose, so you get nothing. And all I had to do was whisper low enough so that only a demon's ears would pick it up, and now he knows, and you don't. So Rikuo, was I right?" The wolf smirked and snapped a card out to Drake, who caught it.

"Use it well or I'll have to replace your head with a tire iron. I give you my full permission to use it in the combo you're going to use." Drake nodded and slipped the card into his hand amongst his other five magic cards. Then he grabbed another one and pulled it free.

"Prepare to say goodbye to all of your precious life points in just a few scant turns. Together, my power with Rikuo's, you don't stand a chance. Now, let me show you a special card of mine called Chaos Fusion." He held up the card, smirking slightly as he showed the magic card.

"This magic cards acts as a Polymerization for light and dark monsters. Normally it is used just for certain monsters in order to create specific monsters that require Chaos Fusion to be special summoned. However, if the target monsters are light and dark respectively then the fusion can proceed as normal. So, Yami Knight(6000/0) is a dark, and Hikari Knight(0/6000) is a light. Which means...Chaos Fusion!" The two monsters swirled together, creating a new force.

Standing in the place of the two knights was a brand new creature if amazing power. His body was armored in pure white and pure black, and in his left hand was a golden shield, while in the right was a silver sword. His helmet displayed one brown eye and one gold eye. "I am Balance Knight(20000/20000) and I will obliterate you with my power!"

Drake glanced up at the powerful warrior and bowed his head slightly. "Mighty Balance Knight, I make a request of you. Aid me and follow my direction for this one turn in order to slay this foe who threatens the existence of this dimension. After that you will never heard from me again."

The fusion knight turned his armored head back to look at Drake, its features mostly invisible underneath the armored helmet. "You, a worthy foe of the one who wields our power. I remember doing battle with your monster of pure balance. Anyone who fights with a creature such as that has my respect, and because you have Rikuo's respect...I will battle for you in this turn, just as you request."

"Thank you Balance Knight, with your help this duel will be won. And since this foe is such an annoying one, I think he needs to be struck down with the full power of Rikuo and myself. So Rikuo, how about I take your weapon for a test drive?" Rikuo paused slightly, despite having known this was coming.

"Just this once, and then its back to me. After that you'll never touch it again, you understand that?" Drake nodded and turned back to Wayfinder, slipping the card he had taken from Rikuo into his duel disk.

"With Rikuo's permission and Balance Knight's I now activate Legendary Weapon Howling Sword! This equip card increases the attack of the equipped monster by one thousand...and then doubles it!" Wayfinder stepped back, terrified by the enormous power the monster was displaying as Balance Knight's attack power rose to an enormous forty-two thousand.

"This...this can't be happening! How can you be so strong?" He stared up at the mighty knight, barely able to comprehend what was happening. He knew perfectly well that Gearfried the Swordmaster(2600/2000), while powerful, was nowhere near a match for this behemoth of a monster. It would be squashed in an instant.

"I am powerful for reasons you can't comprehend being such a cowardly little worm. You claim to be a strong warrior, but in truth you're just a little nothing. And I have no respect for nothings like you, particularly ones who have pissed me off as much as you have. And believe me... you have." He glared at Wayfinder, causing the interdimensional warrior to gulp. Rikuo just smirked at the display.

"You dragged me and my friends on a wild goose chase into this dimension in order to take our power." Wayfinder eyed Drake nervously, uncertain what Drake was getting at.

"Because of you I got a big gaping hole chewed into my shoulder!" He pointed to his wounded shoulder, where blood was still slightly flowing out, staining his shirt.

Rikuo blinked and pointed his thumb at himself. "Errr...that was me though."

Drake didn't even seem to hear it as he was still ranting. "You took my girlfriend's energy away in order to fulfill your sick revenge, and you're just lucky she isn't hurt!"

Kirani smirked, knowing that her words of having him come to deal some serious damage come true. "And worst of all...you made me miss my college entrance exams!"

They stared at him like he was crazy, but there was no stopping him now, not when he was on a rant like this. "You've pissed me off just a bit too much, so now I'm going to reap vengeance on you just like you wanted to do on your home dimension. Here's a trick that they don't teach you in different dimension school. I call it Howling Balance Wave!"

Balance Knight raised the Howling Sword, energy gathering around it. It slammed it down against the ground and a massive wave of Phantom Energy surged across the field and crashed into Wayfinder, who screamed as he was engulfed by the power. Balance Knight seemed satisfied by this. "Be struck down by my power!"

Gearfried the Swordmaster never even stood a chance under that assault. It was consumed in mere moments, but Wayfinder was able to emerge from the mess. His armor was patchy, his cloak was completely gone, and he looked weakened, but he was still alive. "Your attack was powerful...but I'm still alive." (WLP: 28300)

He smirked and ejected a card from his cemetery and slapped it onto his side slot of his duel disk, causing the pathway of stars to vanish and return the room to as it was, portal intact behind him. "By dealing me fifteen thousand damage you have activated The Dimension Gate, and now our graves are removed from play, and I gain thirty thousand life points!" (WLP: 58300)

Wayfinder seemed satisfied now that his ultimate field card was back in play. "You see? Even your assault was nothing against me! You did damage, I'll admit it, but I'm still here, and in my turn you won't be thanks to The Dimension Gate!"

Drake didn't seem bothered by this confidence. Instead he slid his last three cards onto his duel disk. "I'm not bothered by that. I did my part, and I know what's coming next. Believe me, you're forgetting something again. See, you did well that time because The Dimension Gate was gone. But since it isn't gone anymore you can't gain those life points after an assault, leaving you open to a finishing attack. And with that knowledge I end my turn, leaving the rest to Rikuo."

Wayfinder chuckled and snapped his fingers the moment he drew, causing a familiar leather-clad magician to appear in front of him. "Dark Magician of Chaos(2800/2600) comes back, and I'll use his effect to retrieve Dimensional Hammer. With this I'll rid the field of your beast, and in my next turn I'll summon Balance Knight for myself!"

Drake smirked and motioned to his field. "When I said I'd leave the rest to Rikuo I was only be partially truthful. Although I need his help for this, and he'll strike the final blow, I can't let you do what you're about to do. So, reversed cards open!"

The dimensional duelist watched as one by one Drake's three face down cards revealed themselves. "First up is Reload, which lets me reshuffle my hand into my deck and draw an equal number of cards from my deck. Of course I have no cards, which is where my second card comes into play."

This one flipped up, also a quick-play. It showed Dark Magician holding up a mirror and reflecting a Cannon Soldier's attack back at it. "Effect Reflect Mirror lets me change the target of one magic card that chooses a player to another player. In other words, I change Reload's target from myself to you, so say goodbye to those four cards of yours!"

Wayfinder grimaced, realizing that since Dimensional Hammer was a normal magic card he couldn't beat that, and he'd have to hope for a good draw. "Even without my Dimensional Hammer I can still draw useful cards. I'm sure I'll get some method of fighting back against your monster."

"You'll get nothing thanks to my third and final quick-play magic card. This one is called Trap Function, and by paying half of my life points I can name one trap card, and that card can be played from any player's deck provided they have it and the situation fits. I don't have it, but I'm counting on Rikuo for this, as he'll need to give up half his life points as well." Both of their life point counters shot downwards. (DLP: 1250, RLP: 1025)

"What trap could you possibly play that would stop me from getting something from the effect of your own magic card? It's pointless to even try!" He started to laugh, but was stifled when Rikuo held up his trap card.

"Pointless? Keh, there's no such thing as pointless in a duel! And I think my trap card Null and Void will do the trick since it negates the drawing of your cards and forces you to discard them!" Wayfinder stared at his newly drawn cards in horror, and then dropped them to the ground, realizing that he couldn't make any plays at all.

"I...end my turn." Drake and Rikuo smirked, seeing that there was nothing he could do. And now it was Rikuo's turn.

"Wayfinder...you're in the way of me enjoying not doing anything at all and not having to deal with annoying stupid ass villains! And you're the most pathetic villain I've ever dealt with, so now I'm glad to say goodbye. First, Graceful Charity!" He flipped up three cards, and then discarded two of them.

"I discard Repayment of Losses, so I draw one brand new card!" He drew once again, giving him four cards.

"Balance Knight, just like Drake said, just one turn. So now you'll be coming to me. Unfortunately I can't be direct about using you, since he did fusion summon you. But, I'll play Brain Control to take command of Dark Magician of Chaos!" The bondage mage slid over to his field.

Wayfinder eyed Rikuo like he was crazy. "What was that? Why not just take Balance Knight with Brain Control...not that I'm complaining."

"Because Brain Control specifically mentions an opponent's monster, and since Drake isn't my opponent I can't target Balance Knight with this. However...since I have a monster now and so does he, I guess I can switch them are with this card. Creature Swap, swapping our control of these two monsters!" The field flickered, and then changed, leaving the mage on Drake's field and the knight on Rikuo's.

Rikuo smirked and flashed Drake a thumbs up, which the punk duelist returned. Wayfinder just waited, seeing an empty field and one beast of a monster. "Still...even if you attack with your monster on this turn and he attacks with his on his turn I'll survive to get my next turn."

"For a villain you sure are naive. Don't you understand yet? There is no next turn for you! Activate magic card, Mechanical Upgrade! This equips to one monster and turns it into a machine type and boosts its attack by five hundred!" Balance Knight's armor slicked down, becoming more futuristic, and lenses glowed beneath the helmet instead of eyes. Its attack increased just barely to forty-two thousand five hundred.

"Five hundred points? How is that going to make a difference?" Rikuo shook his head in annoyance and pointed at Wayfinder with one clawed finger.

"I said this was the last turn and I meant it! You don't know a damned thing about strategy, so let me demonstrate the sort of strategy that makes me your superior. I told you to remember that if you would remember anything about me, you should keep this in mind. You are weak, and I am strong! Now, activate Limiter Removal!" Steam began to pour from Balance Knight's armor as he began to overheat.

"This quick-play magic card doubles the attack power of all machine sub-types on the field but destroys them at the end of the turn. Since I won't reach the end of my turn it doesn't matter at all! Balance Knight, take it away!" The mechanical knight raised the Howling Sword and pointed it at Wayfinder, who was silent with horror.

"Prepare yourself knave, because this is your end. Now, I Supreme Howling Balance Wave(85000)!" Wayfinder screamed as tremendous waves of phantom energy swept over him. He tried to raise a barrier to halt it, but it didn't seem to be doing the job.

As the assembled duelists watched the barrier began to crack, but that wasn't their focus. Not defended by a barrier the Dimension Gate that stood behind Wayfinder began to crumble under the assault of energies. Wayfinder whipped his head around, looking horrified that his Dimension Gate was being destroyed! "All of my plans, all of these years, all of my hopes and my dreams...my revenge! Gone at the hands of a punk with an ego and wolf demon with an ego! Imposs"

His words were cut off as his distraction weakened the barrier, and it collapsed allowing the energy to pour over him. A powerful explosion rocked the room, clouding half of it fire. When it faded there was no more Dimension Gate, and a giant hole was seen going through the wall and outwards for a great distance. Wayfinder was nowhere to be seen. (WLP: 0)

Drake turned to Rikuo and flashed the wolf demon a thumbs up. "He was gonna say it was impossible wasn't he?"

Rikuo smirked and returned the thumbs up, his duel disk deactivating. "Guess he didn't realize that the impossible is always possible when people like us are involved."

The rest of the gang stirred, their energies restored by the defeat of Wayfinder. They gathered around the two victorious duelists and began to offer congratulations.

Asriel and Kirani were talking directly, both looking really animated. "You have the one Gilford monster that I don't have! You're definitely lucky! How did you get it?"

The blonde girl smiled back at the younger girl. "I've got lots of connections, but it was really cool to get it. I don't know if I could help you get one, but it might not work for your deck since you can't fuse for it without Pendragon, and he wouldn't fit your deck."

Davis and Drake were also talking to each other, both looking rather interested. "I have to know. How did you know that you would draw all magic cards with Destiny's Way? And had did you know that Rikuo would have drawn the necessary cards to complete the assault plan you had?"

Drake grinned and leaned in as if whispering at secret. "The truth of the matter is, that it's really very simple. I don't know you so I don't know if you'll think this is crazy or not, but it all came down to one thing. I just had faith that my draw would be what I needed and that Rikuo would get what he needed as well. Faith is one of my strongest weapons while dueling."

Davis smiled back at the younger duelist, scratching his chin and looking slightly amused. "You have no idea how familiar that sounds. And believe me, I don't think it's crazy. Faith has been my strongest weapon throughout my life."

Irritated at her admired man not getting the attention she felt he deserved Alice pouted and then made a declaration. "Oh yeah? Well Sumatin-senpai defeated dark gods and a monster with infinite attack power while dueling an alternate version of himself!"

The room paused in silence, and Dalin had the courtesy to look slightly embarrassed. Or maybe he was annoyed. It was usually difficult to tell with him. Finally someone responded, and it was Drake. "I've beaten a monster with infinite attack power before and even created one myself twice. As for facing an alternate version of myself...been there, done that."

Rikuo also smirked. "I've beaten monsters with infinite attack as well, on more than one occasion. And you might just say that I've gone toe to toe with an alternate version of myself before. Isn't that right Daniel?"

The light counterpart smiled, and wiggled his ears back and forth, happy to have his demonic blood back. "I'd say that's right Rikuo. But don't get cocky, because I'm the one who defeated the monster that could automatically win in a grand total of five turns and it had two times infinite attack power."

Kirani also seemed about to laugh, thinking about her past experiences. "I beat a monster that had the ability to instantly win the duel as well. Plus I faced down a monster with three thousand seventy-two times infinite attack power. On the other hand I haven't faced an alternate version of myself."

Alice pouted, annoyed that she had been trumped so easily. But attention was diverted from her when the room began to shake, and bits of the ceiling began to fall down around them. Dalin looked up and then frowned. "It seems that this underground structure's supports have been destroyed and it will collapse. I suggest we leave before that happens."

Drake grimaced and punched Rikuo in the shoulder, looking miffed. "This is your fault you know. You just had to go overboard with Balance Knight and give it so many attack points didn't you?"

The wolf demon turned to Drake and snarled, getting right in Drake's face. "If I recall it was your plan to use Balance Knight with massive attack power to win the duel in one strike, not mine! So that makes it your fault!"

"Oh yeah, well I never said to make it eight-three thousand attack power! That was your stupid idea, you just had to go overboard!" Rikuo opened his mouth to respond but was cut off when Daniel grabbed him by the ear and began pulling him away. Similarly Kirani grabbed Drake's ear and started dragging him behind her.

"The world is falling apart around us you know. Now stop being such children and let's get out of here!"

As they began to exit the room Rikuo managed one final comment before the room collapsed behind them. "I still blame you completely!"

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_Next Chapter:Farewell to the Dimension and Farewell to All_

Author's Notes: Wayfinder has been defeated, and all that remains is for some loose ends to be tied up and for farewells to be said.

_Review Responses_

WolfGeneral: As you can see the double power of Rikuo and Drake's decks was even able to take down Wayfinder.

Time Mage: Balance Knight is a fusion monster, you can't simply merge the two together. Rikuo didn't have any card for fusion to use, so he couldn't do so.

John: Hell, top decking is useful no matter who you are. I'm pretty good at it myself.

G.O.T. Nick: Not much time as you can see, but oh well. At least now we know where you've been.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Drake: Destiny's Way, Royal Edict, Chaos Fusion, Balance Knight(WG), Legendary Weapon Howling Sword(WG), Effect Reflect Mirror, Trap Function

Wayfinder: D.D. Lancer(WG), Dimensional Nova(WG), The Dimension Gate

Rikuo: Repayment of Losses, Mechanical Upgrade

**Anime/Manga Cards**

None

**Card Notes**: Although only mentioned the card Different Dimension Master is not an original card. It just recently came out in the booster set in Japan called Cybernetic Revolution. It's a level five with puny stats, but by discard a magic card it lets you special summon one monster from out of play to the field once per turn. Just thought I ought to say that.


	31. Farewell to the Dimension and All

Author's Notes: Now, the end to this duel once and for all.

_**Epilogue: Farewell to the Dimension and Farewell to All**_

Twisting in the place between dimensions desparately seeking to heal his wounds was none other than Wayfinder. He had spent far too many years traveling the dimensions to be killed by a demon and some magic wielding punk kid. Moments before the blast consumed him he was able to enter the different dimension to save himself.

"Those bastards...think they've seen the last of me eh? Well, I know how to do it now so I'll just find another dimension and create a similar Dimension Gate. Then once I've destroyed that dimension and my home dimension I'll use the same tactic to blow away both of their dimensions! They'll regret ever having messed with me!" He started laughing as he imagined the devastation he would cause.

"They were right, you really aren't much of a villain are you?" Wayfinder snapped his head around and found someone else just a few feet away. Standing at over six feet with long black hair that hung to his back was a very imposing figure that Wayfinder recognized.

"Tenken! Damn it...don't you ever give up in trying to stop me? I'll just flee again, and then you'll be left with empty hands once again!" He made a slashing motion with his left hand, causing a miniature portal to appear to his left. He moved towards it, sliding through.

The man known as Tenken Arashi, a guardian of sorts, snapped his fingers. Instantly the portal started to close, and Wayfinder was forced out and back towards Tenken. "You used up virtually all of your energy in your battle with those duelists and your attempt to flee. In addition you are wounded, so you can't control the dimensions as well as I can. Now...I believe there is a punishment in order here."

Wayfinder paled as the guardian advanced on him. But at the last moment he thought up a plan. "I...I challenge you to a Darkness Game! Winner walks out, loser does whatever the other wants?"

Tenken paused and then finally raised his left arm, on which a duel disk appeared. "I would have thought you had learned your lesson from your previous duel. You are no duelist, not without the aid of The Dimension Gate. And in this duel, we will play by standard rules. Duel!"

It was then that Wayfinder realized that he was in over his head. "All my plans...all of my efforts...my revenge...all of it ended because of a stupid card game! What are the odds?"

"About as slim as you actually winning. Now, are you going to take your turn?" Wayfinder gulped, and started to plan in his head exactly what he could do for the eternity that he would be imprisoned for his crimes throughout the dimensions. Solitaire just wasn't going to cut it.

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"Super Toy Knight(3000/3000), XYZ-Dragon Cannon(2800/2600), Wolf Demon Lord(2400/1000), Fenrir-Destroyer of Gods(4000/4000), and Irios the Steel Monarch(2700/2300) are gunning for you Drake, and there's nothing that you can do about it!" The five monsters stared down at Drake, who stood with no monsters at all. (RLP: 250)

"You're really so reckless that you'd willingly attack when I have five face down cards on the field? Come on Rikuo, you know better than that. And unless you want to sacrifice one of your precious monsters even Fenrir can't stop my cards. So, what will you do?" The two duelists glared at each other, each one trying to overcome the other with their will. (DLP: 1400)

The gathered duelists cheered for their perspective champions. "Crush him father! Make this whelp understand your true power!"

Eri's cheers were met enthusiastically by her friends Sammy and Ashley, although they weren't nearly as overbearing as she was. At the same time Daniel, Ryu, Davis, and Asriel all watched casually, mentally supporting Rikuo but not being loud about it. Daniel glanced over at the others, frowning slightly. "Drake is powerful, do you think Rikuo can beat him?"

Nearby the half-demon dragon Adriel Zaytel sneered, watching carefully. His roommates stood behind him, watching as well. "I faced his power, and had I known he wasn't a normal duelist I doubt I would have been as cocky. Rikuo is strong as well, but after feeling Drake's strength I doubt Rikuo can win."

Dalin folded his arms across his chest, watching silently. Kai stood to his right, also quietly. Kirani on the other hand wasn't quiet about it. "Go Drake! Kick his ass into the different dimension!"

Rikuo smirked and held up the two remaining cards in his hand. "You heard my daughter, I guess I have to finish you off now. My magic card activates, Sacrifice of Pain! This lets me sacrifice monsters on my field to destroy magic and trap cards on your field. In addition one monster on my field gains one thousand attack points for each, but loses the ability to attack! This costs one discard!"

He tossed aside his remaining card and watched as his four monsters besides Fenrir exploded into nothingness. Drake grimaced as four of his face down cards shattered as well. But he was prepared. "Reveal Emergency Provisions and Emergency Soul Boost! Emergency Provisions lets me sacrifice the three other cards I would be losing from your effect. In addition my Emergency Soul Boost takes one effect and multiplies it by the roll of a die!"

A golden die shot out of one of his cards and bounced across the field. Drake smirked as the die came to rest on a six. "Since I rolled a six that means Emergency Provisions now grants me six thousand life points per card, and that's a grand total of eighteen thousand life points!" (DLP: 19400)

Rikuo frowned at the enormous number of life points, but after facing Wayfinder it didn't seem like that much. "Keh, that hardly matters. Now that I've discarded my Repayment of Losses card I get to draw one. And that's all I'll need in order to defeat you!"

"Activate magic card, Wolf God's Rage! By sacrificing Fenrir when it has over seven thousand attack points I can instantly summon his true god form, so meet Fenrir the Eater of the Moon(10000/5000)!" A golden covered Fenrir emerged from the dust, and roared, shaking the ground. They all stared at in amazement, shocked at the power.

Drake whistled, impressed by the form he saw. But still he was smirking. "Even if it's a true divine type it doesn't help you. Even if you succeeded in attacking me directly I'll survive it."

"Not really, if summoned by the effect of Wolf God's Rage my monster begins with double its base attack points. See, normally it only has five thousand attack points. So ten thousand is the increase. On the other hand when summoned during that turn if it's my only attacker it gains double attack points, just like Irios." Drake grimaced as Fenrir's attack power shot up to twenty thousand, equal to Balance Knight's strength.

"You're good, I'll give you that. But how do you know my last face down card can't stop your monster's assault?" Rikuo paused at this, but then he smirked and snapped his fingers together. Fenrir roared and aimed its muzzle at Drake.

"Only one way to find out. Fenrir, Black Inferno's Roar!" The wolf god belched a stream of black energy that headed straight for Drake. The punk duelist smirked and snapped his arm out so that it rested just above his face down card.

"You've just killed yourself! The one card you failed to destroy, my Magic Cylinder! This negates your attack and then fires the damage right back at you! And since it doesn't actually affect Fenrir it's divine abilities won't stop it!" A giant cylinder appeared on the field and caught the black energy. Then it turned it around and fired the energy back at Rikuo.

Rikuo closed his eyes...and then burst out laughing. "Any card but that one would have been better...because now it's all over! My own face down card, the one I've had set for the past three turns...it's time to activate it! Barrel Behind the Door!"

Drake's eyes went as wide as they could as the energy attacked curved around in mid-air and then collided directly into him, hurling him backwards, scorching the ground as well. Finally he came to a halt on his knees, panting but grinning at the same time. "Looks like it's one win for each of us and two ties. Guess we need a tie breaker." (DLP: 0)

"Keh, maybe another time. For now I'm just satisfied that I defeated you." Their duel disks shut down, and they both smirked, knowing that eventually they'd have to have a tie breaker to find out who was the better duelist. But for now, they were satisfied.

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Dalin, Kai, Kirani, and Drake all stood in a line, waiting as the portal that Dalin had created began to expand enough to allow them to enter. This would take them partially through the lands of the dead and let them bypass regular dimension travel to return them home. "Maybe we'll see you all again sometime. But for now, we're out of here!"

The group waved goodbye, as the group of demons watched. Rikuo smirked and folded his arms across his chest, ready to get in one final comment. "I'll make you a promise. If you guys do come back, I swear that if you do so because of some stupid evil the first thing I'll do is punch you in the jaw. Get me? If you come back to visit, just visit, don't try and play save the world!"

Drake grinned and flashed a thumbs up at the wolf demon. "I guarantee nothing! But if all else fails, I'll make sure my jaw stays in shape. See ya!"

The four duelists stepped through the portal, and it closed behind them. The demon duelists watched the empty space for several moments and then turned away. Daniel looked over at his other half and smiled. "So, do you think they'll actually show up again?"

"Keh, like I know everything? The future can hold just about anything, so there's no telling what will happen. Normally I'd say that it's impossible, but like I said about Wayfinder...the impossible is more likely to happen than the possible when we're involved. But then wouldn't that make the possible the impossible and the impossible possible?" The wolf demon's eyes furrowed in thought.

Daniel shook his head and put his hand on his other half's shoulders. "Don't even think about it. I've tried, and it just goes in circles. So I guess it's back to normal life for us now."

They all paused for a moment, thinking that phrase over. "Normal life...I wonder what that would be like."

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Time had passed without there being any need for Drake or his friends to return to Rikuo's dimension. There was peace in both dimensions for a time, but for each of their dimensions that would soon enough come to an end.

Drake felt the wind whip through his hair as he drove down the road at excessive speeds on his jet black motorcycle. He frowned and slid his motorcycle to a stop as he felt a strange pulse. _'That was almost like what Wayfinder was doing years ago...like the fabric of the dimensions themselves were shaking...'_

He shook his head, thinking of it only as his imagination. Nothing was strong enough to shake the dimensions so easily like that, and he doubted he was attuned enough to feel such a thing. Starting his motorcycle back up he started to drive away. _'I wonder how those guys are all doing. Maybe some day soon I should go back, skip a couple of years maybe, figure out how they've been.'_

He smiled and continued on his way to campus, ready to get back to class. "I'm sure they've had their fair share of problems, but I bet they're fine. Hell, I bet they're even living normal lives."

A second's thought brought him a conclusion about that, and he burst out laughing. "Normal life...I wonder what that would be like."

With that his thoughts shifted, taking him away from thoughts of that different dimension and the adventures he had while he was there. The future could hold literally anything, so he would just keep driving, keep going forwards. No matter what dimension he was in, forwards was always the best way to go. "No need to look back. Just keep looking forwards, keep chasing dreams. Yeah, that's always the best way to go."

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_The End_

Author's Notes: Wayfinder has met his fate, and each of the groups have gone their separate ways to live life. Adventures await them all, because that's always the fate for people who are above average, they live unusual lives. So I bid farewell to Wolf General's dimensions, as this will be the last time I play around in it. Now, it's back to my own dimension and the adventures that take place there. Wolf General's dimension will still have its own adventures, so we can all enjoy those as well.

_Review Responses_

Time Mage: I wanted to get the epilogue up, but it stormed the whole day and I couldn't get on. Hopefully you read this at some point. Oh, and you didn't have to take entrance exams, that works different in Japan than it does in America. They actually have to take a couple of special tests to get into college, as well as taking tests to get into high school. That's why their education system is better than ours.

WolfGeneral: Thanks, and also thanks for letting me have a little fun in your dimension. It was cool to be able to do so.

G.O.T. Nick: Well I thought I had been missing the earlier chapter's humor and since this story's secondary thingy is humor I needed some. Glad somebody recognized Drake's rant for what it was as being reminiscent of Coop's rants that sum up the episode.

John: Yes, top deck is good, I get it.

**Original Cards**:WG(WolfGeneral), TM(Time Mage), G(Gryphinwyrm7)

Rikuo: Super Toy Knight(WG), Wolf Demon Lord(WG), Fenrir-Destroyer of Gods(WG), Irios the Steel Monarch(WG), Sacrifice of Pain, Repayment of Losses, Wolf God's Rage, Fenrir the Eater of the Moon(WG)

Drake: Emergency Soul Boost(I really did roll a six for this duel)

**Anime/Manga Cards**

None


End file.
